Migrants in the Profane: Critical Theory and the Question of Secularization (The Franz Rosenzweig Lecture Series)

A beautifully written exploration of religion’s role in a secular, modern politics, by an accomplished scholar of critical theory “Rich in historical background, illuminating in its comparative perspective, yet focused on the question of secularization and the normative resources of modernity—a joy to read.”—Maeve Cooke, University College Dublin “Gordon writes with a controlled power, elegance, simplicity, and clarity that is a rare pleasure.”—Max Pensky, Binghamton University Migrants in the Profane takes its title from an intriguing remark by Theodor W. Adorno, in which he summarized the meaning of Walter Benjamin’s image of a celebrated mechanical chess-playing Turk and its hidden religious animus: “Nothing of theological content will persist without being transformed; every content will have to put itself to the test of migrating in the realm of the secular, the profane.” In this masterful book, Peter Gordon reflects on Adorno’s statement and asks an urgent question: Can religion offer any normative resources for modern political life, or does the appeal to religious concepts stand in conflict with the idea of modern politics as a domain free from religion’s influence? In answering this question, he explores the work of three of the Frankfurt School’s most esteemed thinkers: Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor W. Adorno. His illuminating analysis offers a highly original account of the intertwined histories of religion and secular modernity. A beautifully written exploration of religion’s role in a secular, modern politics, by an accomplished scholar of critical theory

Migrants in the Profane takes its title from an intriguing remark by Theodor W. Adorno, in which he summarized the meaning of Walter Benjamin’s image of a celebrated mechanical chess-playing Turk and its hidden religious animus: “Nothing of theological content will persist without being transformed; every content will have to put itself to the test of migrating in the realm of the secular, the profane.”

In this masterful book, Peter Gordon reflects on Adorno’s statement and asks an urgent question: Can religion offer any normative resources for modern political life, or does the appeal to religious concepts stand in conflict with the idea of modern politics as a domain free from religion’s influence? In answering this question, he explores the work of three of the Frankfurt School’s most esteemed thinkers: Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor W. Adorno. His illuminating analysis offers a highly original account of the intertwined histories of religion and secular modernity. "A beautifully written exploration of religion's role in a secular, modern politics, by an accomplished scholar of critical theory. Migrants in the Profane takes its title from an intriguing remark by Theodor W. Adorno, in which he summarized the meaning of Walter Benjamin's image of a celebrated mechanical chess-playing Turk and its hidden religious animus: "Nothing of theological content will persist without being transformed; every content will have to put itself to the test of migrating in the realm of the secular, the profane." In this masterful book, Peter Gordon reflects on Adorno's statement and asks an urgent question: Can religion offer any normative resources for modern political life, or does the appeal to religious concepts stand in conflict with the idea of modern politics as a domain free from religion's influence? In answering this question, he explores the work of three of the Frankfurt School's most esteemed thinkers: Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor W. Adorno. His illuminating analysis offers a highly original account of the intertwined histories of religion and secular modernity"-- Provided by publisher A beautifully written exploration of religion's role in asecular, modern politics, by an accomplished scholar of criticaltheory Migrants in the Profane takes its titlefrom an intriguing remark by Theodor W. Adorno, in which hesummarized the meaning of Walter Benjamin's image of a celebratedmechanical chess-playing Turk and its hidden religious animus:"Nothing of theological content will persist without beingtransformed; every content will have to put itself to the test ofmigrating in the realm of the secular, the profane." In thismasterful book, Peter Gordon reflects on Adorno's statement andasks an urgent question: Can religion offer any normative resourcesfor modern political life, or does the appeal to religious conceptsstand in conflict with the idea of modern politics as a domain freefrom religion's influence? In answering this question, he exploresthe work of three of the Frankfurt School's most esteemed thinkers:Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor W. Adorno. Hisilluminating analysis offers a highly original account of theintertwined histories of religion and secular modernity **A beautifully written exploration of religion’s role in a secular, modern politics, by an accomplished scholar of critical theory****“Rich in historical background, illuminating in its comparative perspective, yet focused on the question of secularization and the normative resources of modernity—a joy to read.”—Maeve Cooke, University College Dublin****“Gordon writes with a controlled power, elegance, simplicity, and clarity that is a rare pleasure.”—Max Pensky, Binghamton University**__Migrants in the Profane__ In this masterful book, Peter Gordon reflects on Adorno’s statement and asks an urgent question: Can religion offer any normative resources for modern political life, or does the appeal to religious concepts stand in conflict with the idea of modern politics as a domain free from religion’s influence? In answering this question, he explores the work of three of the Frankfurt School’s most esteemed thinkers: Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor W. Adorno. His illuminating analysis offers a highly original account of the intertwined histories of religion and secular modernity. An exploration of religion's role in secular, modern politics, written by a scholar of critical theory. This book takes its title from an intriguing remark by Theodor W. Adorno, in which he summarized the meaning of Walter Benjamin's image of a celebrated mechanical chess-playing Turk and its hidden religious animus: "Nothing of theological content will persist without being transformed; every content will have to put itself to the test of migrating in the realm of the secular, the profane." In this book, the author reflects on Adorno's statement and asks an urgent question: Can religion offer any normative resources for modern political life, or does the appeal to religious concepts stand in conflict with the idea of modern politics as a domain free from religion's influence? In answering this question, he explores the work of three of the Frankfurt School's most esteemed thinkers: Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor W. Adorno. His analysis offers an original account of the intertwined histories of religion and secular modernity. -- Provided by publisher 'Migrants in the Profane' explores the concept of secularization in the thought of three key figures in the classical phase of critical theory, Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor W. Adorno. Following Adorno's dictum that theological concepts must undergo a 'migration into the profane,' the book asks whether it is possible for secular modernity to draw instruction from the normative resources of religion without violating its own principle of modern independence. It pursues this question in three chapters, examining how each author proposed distinctive answers. Interlacing philosophical and historical criticism, the book also addresses the history of Frankfurt School critical theory in its early years. It concludes with broader reflections on the relationship between religion and secular society, and the challenge of ethno-religious pluralism in an era of migration