The Postmodern Saints of France: Refiguring 'the Holy' in Contemporary French Philosophy

by Colby Dickinson (Editor)

Overview

From the mid to the late 20th century various French thinkers have at times toyed with the label of 'the saint', applying it to friends, colleagues, the revered and even the worshipped such as Genet, Sartre, Camus or Foucault. Despite this profaning of the term, however, there are many subtle truths which emerge from its usage among such writers.

This volume is devoted to exploring certain varied notions of 'the saint' in recent French philosophical and literary thought from within a theological context, offering insights and valuable contributions toward how we understand sainthood in cultural, philosophical and religious terms.

Each essay focuses on the convergence of a particular author's work and their various (re)formulations of 'saintliness' in their writings, whether this concept is directly expressed in their writings or not. In general, the aim of the volume is to develop a critical engagement between each authors' philosophical worldview and historical notions of sainthood, such that we are capable of providing new understandings of what a 'saint' could be said to be in our world today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780567296535
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/25/2013
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Colby Dickinson is Assistant Professor of Theology at Loyola University Chicago, USA.

Table of Contents

Introduction\Jean Genet versus Saint Genet: Seeking redemption on the edges\Holy
Mary, Holy Desire: Luce Irigaray and Saintly Daughters\Jean-Luc the Great? The Academic Reception of a Marion Spirituality\Saint Lyotard\Ricoeur and the Symbolism of Sainthood\Saint Levinas\St. Maurice du Dehors\ Saint Girard\ Of Foucault, "Who Could Have Been Saint
Paul"\La nouvelle philosophie: Sanctity and the Philosophy of Sainthood in Jean-Yves Lacoste\Saint Derrida\Albert Camus on the Rebel as Saint and the
Saint as Rebel\Saint Badiou, Saint Pascal

Editorial Reviews

…one can certainly recommend the present text on an academic basis as an entirely helpful aid to understand more deeply the both tense and fruitful dialogue between French postmodernism and Christianity…Overall, The Postmodern Saints of France can be recommended as a helpful addition to the growing body of literature dedicated to unearthing the complex relationship between postmodernism and Christianity.

Religion and Theology Conor Sweeney

The anthology has a clear theme concerning the presence of goodness and the pervading influence of the one who is the source of all life.

Catholic Leader Terry Oberg

The anthology has a clear theme concerning the presence of goodness and the pervading influence of the one who is the source of all life.” —Terry Oberg, Catholic Leader

“A sustained reflection on postmodernism's theological turban. The volume's main contribution is an insight into some of the main ways in which contemporary French philosophers have not only grappled with religious phenomena and categories, but have also probed the porous boundary between the sacred and the secular [...] It offers an impressive panorama of the multiples ways in which religious and theological traditions have been grappled with by an important group of modern thinkers.” —Michael C. Behrent, Appalachian State University, H-France Review Vol.14

From the Publisher

A sustained reflection on postmodernism's theological turn. The volume's main contribution is an insight into some of the main ways in which contemporary French philosophers have not only grappled with religious phenomena and categories, but have also probed the porous boundary between the sacred and the secular [...] It offers an impressive panorama of the multiples ways in which religious and theological traditions have been grappled with by an important group of modern thinkers.

Michael C. Behrent

The anthology has a clear theme concerning the presence of goodness and the pervading influence of the one who is the source of all life.

Terry Oberg