Theopolitical Figures

Examines the meaning of five theopolitical figures – scripture, prophecy, oath, charisma and hospitality – in contemporary philosophical-political discourse

• Re-inscribes contemporary political concepts and experiences in the 'theological locus' from which they supposedly come and at the same time looks for new semantic derivations for the political arena
• Engages with various 20th century continental philosophers, including Walter Benjamin, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Louis Chrétien, Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Jean-Luc Nancy, John Caputo, Jean Luc Marion among others
• Brings into dialogue discussions of theological literature and history
• Combines philosophical reflection with case studies of the political interpretation of the Bible; the Lisbon earthquake of 1755; the transferences between oath and sacrament in early Christianity; and acclamations from the imperial cult to modern autocracies
• Considers different theological traditions of thought, mainly, Christian and Jewish

This book explores the extent to which theological discourse has been, and continues to be, relevant in shaping the meanings, symbols and realities of certain instituted political practices. This relevance has historically manifested itself in the hybridisation of theological and political concepts, images, gestures, and rituals.

Combining theological and political concepts, Herrero shows that some divine traces could be embedded in institutionalised political practices. She argues that these theopolitical figures – scripture, prophecy, oath, charisma and hospitality – should be read negatively as other names of God, in the sense of a negative theology, in the post-secular world. By analysing the symbolic meaning of these figures, Theopolitical Figures sheds new light on crucial questions for contemporary societies, such as the unconditional character of justice, the unfeasibility of historical expectation, the stability of the word, the idea of power as a gift, and openness to otherness as an ethical-political imperative.