A Transatlantic Political Theology of Psychedelic Aesthetics : Enchanted Citizens

Arguing that we ought to look to psychedelic aesthetics of the 1960s in relation to current crises in liberal democracy, this book emphasizes the intersection of European thought and the psychedelic. The first half of the book focuses on philosophical influences of Herbert Marcuse and Antonin Artaud, while the second half shifts toward literary and theoretical influences of Aldous Huxley on psychedelic aesthetics. Framed within an emergent discourse of political theology, it suggests that taking a postsecular approach to psychedelic aesthetics helps us understand deeper connections between aesthetics and politics. Front Matter ....Pages i-viii Liberal Subjectivity, Religion, and the State (Roger K. Green)....Pages 1-32 Psychedelic Aesthetics, Political Theology, and Religion (Roger K. Green)....Pages 33-63 European Influences (Roger K. Green)....Pages 65-114 The Return to “Nature” and the Problem of the Perennial (Roger K. Green)....Pages 115-147 Theorizing the Psychedelic Experience (Roger K. Green)....Pages 149-168 Psychedelic Citizenship and Re-Enchantment: Affective Aesthetics as Political Instantiation (Roger K. Green)....Pages 169-213 Aldous Huxley: The Political Theologian (Roger K. Green)....Pages 215-262 Conclusion: Re-Enchantment and Psychedelic Aesthetics (Roger K. Green)....Pages 263-277 Back Matter ....Pages 279-302