Transformations of Religion and the Public Sphere Postsecular Publics

Transformations of Religion and the Public Sphere: Postsecular Publics contributes a counter-discourse to the myth of secularism. This myth is a strongly-held belief, predominantly advocated in the westernised world, that progress and modernity is intimately linked to secular politics and social relations. This book develops a range of critiques of this myth through discussions on the current political, social, and technological conditions in which we find ourselves. It explores the political implications of the myth, as well as exploring postcolonial relations, liberal-secularism and religious sentiments, and the mediated public sphere, with an in-depth focus on the Dutch case. Transformations of Religion and the Public Sphere: Postsecular Publics takes issue with the secular condition and accepted beliefs of its liberal emancipatory foundations.

Rosi Braidotti is Professor and Director of the Centre for the Humanities at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Her latest books include The Posthuman (2013), Nomadic Subjects: Embodiment and Difference in Contemporary Feminist Theory (2011), and Nomadic Theory: The Portable Rosi Braidotti (2011).

Bolette Blaagaard is Assistant Professor of Communications at Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark. She has published in the field of journalism and culture and is the co-editor of Deconstructing Europe with Sandra Ponzanesi and After Cosmopolitanism with Rosi Braidotti and Patrick Hanafin.

Tobijn de Graauw is Coordinator of the academic programme at the Centre for the Humanities at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Her background is in political philosophy and during her MA she specialized in global justice and human rights. Her current projects and research interests include the postsecular and religion in the public sphere, citizenship and the environmental humanities.

Eva Midden is Assistant Professor in Gender Studies at the Media and Culture Studies Department at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. She was recently involved in the European Research Project 'MIGNET' for which she conducted research on migration, gender and religious practices in new media. Her research interests include feminist theory, postcolonial theory, intersectionality, postsecularism, whiteness, and media analysis.

1. Introductory Notes; Rosi Braidotti, Bolette Blaagaard, Tobijn de Graauw and Eva Midden
2. Is There a Crisis of 'Postsecularism' in Western Europe?; Tariq Modood
3. Reawakening Enlightenment? Contesting Religion and Politics in European Public Discourse; Anders Berg-Sørensen
4. (Pro)claiming Tradition: The 'Judeo-Christian' Roots of Dutch Society and the Rise of Conservative Nationalism; Ernst van den Hemel
5. What About Protests Against Religiously Offensive Acts? Re-Examining an Ethics of Citizenship in Postsecular Societies; Christoph Baumgartner
6. The Eradication of Transcendence; William Egginton
7. The Unprecedented Return of Saint Paul in Contemporary Philosophy; Gregg Lambert
8. More Proof, If Proof Were Needed: Spectacles of Secular Insistence, Multicultural Failure, and the Contemporary Laundering of Racism; Alana Lentin and Gavan Titley
9. Remediating Religion as Everyday Practice: Postsecularism, Postcolonialism and Digital Culture; Koen Leurs and Sandra Ponzanesi
10. Mentality, Fundamentality, and the Colonial Secular; or How Real is Real Estate?; Pamela Klassen
11. Religious Aspirations, Public Religion, and the Secularity of Pluralism; Patrick Eisenlohr
12. Towards a More Inclusive Feminism: Defining Feminism through Faith; Eva Midden
13. Blasphemous Feminist Art: Incarnate Politics of Identity in Postsecular Perspective; Anne-Marie Korte
14 Postface: The Residual Spirituality in Critical Theory. A Case for Affirmative Postsecular Politics; Rosi Braidotti