Postmodernism and the Revolution in Religious Theory: Toward a Semiotics of the Event (Studies in Religion and Culture)

While the academic study of religion has increased almost exponentially in the past fifty years, general theories of religion have been in significant decline. In his new book, Carl Raschke offers the first systematic exploration of how the postmodern philosophical theories of Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, Alain Badiou, and Slavoj Žižek have contributed significantly to the development of a theory of religion as a whole. The bold paradigm he uses to articulate the framework for a revolution in religious theory comes from semiotics--namely, the problem of the sign and the "singularity" or "event horizon" from which a sign is generated. Publisher's note While the academic study of religion has increased almost exponentially in the past fifty years, general theories of religion have been in significant decline. In his new book, Carl Raschke offers the first systematic exploration of how the postmodern philosophical theories of Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, Alain Badiou, and Slavoj Zizek have contributed significantly to the development of a theory of religion as a whole. The bold paradigm he uses to articulate the framework for a revolution in religious theory comes from semiotics-namely, the problem of the sign and the "singularity" or "event horizon" from which a sign is generated. Book jacket Religion And The Semiotic Revolution -- Theory And The Deus Evanescens: Can There Truly Be A Science Of Religion? -- Postmodernism And The Return Of The Religious -- Radical Religion In The Desert Of The Real -- Bataille And Altizer: The Sacrificial Background Of Postmodern Religious Theory -- Levinas And The Final à-dieu To Theology -- Deleuze And Nomadology -- Žižek And The Failure Of The Subject -- Badiou And The Prospects For Theory -- Conclusion: Toward A Revival Of Religious Theory. Carl Raschke. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.