Politics of Fear, Practices of Hope
Summary
The feel-good place to buy books
Politics of Fear, Practices of Hope by Stefan Skrimshire
Fear and hope are two hugely influential ideas in political life; here Stefan Skrimshire examines their relationship at a time where interest has exploded in the quasi-religious themes of apocalyptic protest and utopian politics.This book is about the relationship between two hugely influential ideas in political life: fear and hope. In distinction to a growing literature already grappling with these ideas, this book argues that responses to a politics of fear have coincided with an explosion of interest in the quasi-religious themes of apocalyptic protest and utopian politics in both scholarly interest and cultural and political life. As such, it makes a timely contribution to the rapidly growing study into the re-surfacing of religious reasons in our 'post secular' political culture.Whilst recent scholarly studies have drawn attention to the re-emergence of theological questions of, for example, political sovereignty; attitudes towards the body; universality; and transcendence, this book argues in addition that the subject of political orientations of the future should also be taken seriously, where political thought is engaged with theological themes such as eschatology, apocalypse and utopia, in order to generate resources for hope. In recent years the study of the nature and function of religion with respect to politics has seen enormous changes. This important series provides a range of books devoted to furthering this study, and aimed at those studying and researching in this area across both disciplines.Titles in this series look specifically at the relationship between religion and political culture. Drawing upon a broad range of religious perspectives, the series is open for studies of historical as well as current phenomena in political culture. It seeks not only to inform but to provoke debate at a time when religion is gaining increasing prominence in the public realm.
'[Skrimshire] makes strenuous efforts to signpost and summarise, and the thesis comes complete with enlivening examples' Alex Danchev, Times Higher Education Supplement, March 2009
"Skrimshire's erudite combination of critical theory, theology, and analysis of current events deftly weaves difficult and diverse materials into a thoughtful, coherent, and insightful work." Religious Studies Review, Vol. 35, No. 4, December 2009
"This is an excellent analysis of the myriad ways in which fear stifles political imagination, while hope liberates from apocalyptic fantasy. Skrimshire's book is at once accessible, engaged and learned, and weaves together activist practices with political theology to give an enriched account of each." - Professor Philip Goodchild, University of Nottingham, UK
Publication mentioned in Red Pepper, June 2008
"Skrimshire's erudite combination of critical theory, theology, and analysis of current events deftly weaves difficult and diverse materials into a thoughtful, coherent, and insightful work." Religious Studies Review, Vol. 35, No. 4, December 2009
"This is an excellent analysis of the myriad ways in which fear stifles political imagination, while hope liberates from apocalyptic fantasy. Skrimshire's book is at once accessible, engaged and learned, and weaves together activist practices with political theology to give an enriched account of each." - Professor Philip Goodchild, University of Nottingham, UK
Publication mentioned in Red Pepper, June 2008
Stefan Skrimshire is Post-doctoral Teaching Fellow in Religion and Politics at the University of Manchester, UK. He has published in journals such as Political Theology, Literature and Theology, Ephemera and Red Pepper magazine.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781847060754 |
| ISBN 10 | 1847060757 |
| Title | Politics of Fear, Practices of Hope |
| Author | Stefan Skrimshire |
| Series | Continuum Studies In Religion And Political Culture |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2008-11-10 |
| Number of pages | 230 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |