Zizek and Theology

(Paperback)

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Description

Slavoj iek has been called an "academic rock star." As public visibility of the Slovenian philosopher and psychoanalyst increases, so too does the depth of his engagement with Christian theology. iek's recent work includes extended treatments of key Christian thinkers from Paul, Pascal, and Kierkegaard to G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis, while Christology and other theological themes have provided crucial points of reference. iek has even said that "to become a true dialectical materialist, one should go through the Christian experience." But iek's work on Christianity often overwhelms students of theology. To be sure, iek's style of argumentation is unusual and his concepts are complex. But the more basic problem is that his work on Christianity is a further development of a broader intellectual project established in many volumes produced in the course of the 1990s. This book will bring students of theology up to speed on this broader intellectual project, with an eye toward what brings iek to an explicit engagement with Christianity and how both his earlier and more recent works are relevant for theological reflection.

Reviews

"a useful introduction to iek's theological writing - and it will be especially useful for those who've been wanting to read iek, but don't know where to start" Dr Benjamin Myers, Faith and Theology Blog
"this remains the best introduction to Zizek and theology currentlt available" "theologians sarching for handles by which to grapple with Zizek are indebted to Kotsko for his work" Religious studies Review, June 2009 -- Myle Werntz, Baylor University
Kotsko provides an excellent review of Zizek's writing on ideology and subjectivity... [The author] helps non-Christians appreciate how far Zizek is immersed in these other worlds, and the complexity and depth of his argument for a dialectical material standpoint... -- Subjectivity Vol. 3, 1, 122-124

Author Bio

Adam Kotsko is Visiting Assistant Professorof Religions at Kalamazoo College (USA). His current research interests include 20th century European philosophy and early Christian thought.