The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere

The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere represents a rare opportunity to experience a diverse group of preeminent philosophers confronting one pervasive contemporary concern: what role does—or should—religion play in our public lives? Reflecting on her recent work concerning state violence in Israel-Palestine, Judith Butler explores the potential of religious perspectives for renewing cultural and political criticism, while Jürgen Habermas, best known for his seminal conception of the public sphere, thinks through the ambiguous legacy of the concept of "the political" in contemporary theory. Charles Taylor argues for a radical redefinition of secularism, and Cornel West defends civil disobedience and emancipatory theology. Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen detail the immense contribution of these philosophers to contemporary social and political theory, and an afterword by Craig Calhoun places these attempts to reconceive the significance of both religion and the secular in the context of contemporary national and international politics.

Judith Butler, Jurgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, Cornel West, Edited by Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen. Afterword by Craig Calhoun

Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Power of Religion in the Public Sphere
Eduardo Mendieta and Jonathan VanAntwerpen
1. "The Political": The Rational Meaning of a Questionable Inheritance of Political Theology
Jürgen Habermas
2. Why We Need a Radical Redefinition of Secularism
Charles Taylor
Dialogue: Jürgen Habermas and Charles Taylor
3. Is Judaism Zionism?
Judith Butler
4. Prophetic Religion and the Future of Capitalist Civilization
Cornel West
Dialogue: Judith Butler and Cornel West
Concluding Discussion: Butler, Habermas, Taylor, West
Afterword
Craig Calhoun