Powers of the Secular Modern: Talal Asad and His Interlocutors (Cultural Memory in the Present)

"For more than three decades, Talal Asad has been engaged in a distinctive critical exploration of the conceptual assumptions that govern the West's knowledges-especially its disciplinary and disciplining knowledges-of the non-Western world. The essays that make up this volume treat diverse aspects of this remarkable body of work. Among them: the relationship between colonial power and academic knowledge; the historical shifts giving shape to the complexly interrelated categories of the secular and the religious, and the significance of these shifts in the emergence of modern Europe; and aspects of human embodiment, including some of the various ways that pain, emotion, embodied aptitude, and the senses connect with and structure cultural practices. While the specific themes and arguments addressed by the individual contributors range widely, the essays cohere in a shared orientation of both critical engagement and productive extension. Note that this is not a festschrift, nor a celebratory farewell, but a series of engagements with a thinker whose work is in full spate and deserves to be far better known and understood." http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0710/2005013565-d.html Introduction: The Anthropological Skepticism Of Talal Asad / David Scott And Charles Hirschkind -- Secularization Revisited : A Reply To Talal Asad / José Casanova -- What Is An Authorizing Discourse? / Steven C. Caton -- Fasting For Bin Laden : The Politics Of Secularization In Contemporary India / Partha Chatterjee -- Europe : A Minor Tradition / William E. Connolly -- Secularism And The Argument From Nature / Veena Das -- On General And Divine Economy : Talal Asad's Genealogy Of The Secular And Emmanuel Levinas's Critique Of Capitalism, Colonialism, And Money / Hent De Vries -- The Tragic Sensibility Of Talal Asad / David Scott -- Redemption, Secularization, And Politics / George Shulman -- Subjects And Agents In The History Of Imperialism And Resistance / Jon E. Wilson -- Responses / Talal Asad. Edited By David Scott And Charles Hirschkind. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [333]-338) And Index. Content: Introduction: The anthropological skepticism of Talal Asad / David Scott and Charles Hirschkind -- Secularization revisited : a reply to Talal Asad / José Casanova -- What is an "authorizing discourse"? / Steven C. Caton -- Fasting for Bin Laden : the politics of secularization in contemporary India / Partha Chatterjee -- Europe : a minor tradition / William E. Connolly -- Secularism and the argument from nature / Veena Das -- On general and divine economy : Talal Asad's genealogy of the secular and Emmanuel Levinas's critique of capitalism, colonialism, and money / Hent de Vries -- The tragic sensibility of Talal Asad / David Scott -- Redemption, secularization, and politics / George Shulman -- Subjects and agents in the history of imperialism and resistance / Jon E. Wilson -- Responses / Talal Asad. Contents 10 Introduction: the anthropological skepticism of talal asad 12 Secularization revisited: a reply to talal asad 23 What Is an “authorizing discourse”? 42 Fasting for Bin laden: the Politics of secularization in contemporary India 68 Europe: a Minor tradition 86 Secularism and the argument from nature 104 On General and divine economy: talal asad’s Genealogy of the secular and emmanuel levinas’s critique of capitalism, colonialism, and Money 124 The tragic sensibility of talal asad 145 Redemption, secularization, and Politics 165 Subjects and agents in the history of Imperialism and resistance 191 Responses 217 Appendix: The Trouble of Thinking: An Interview with Talal Asad 254 Notes 316 Contributors 350 Index 352 Cultural Memory in the Present 368 Introduction: The anthropological skepticism of Talal Asad / David Scott and Charles Hirschkind Secularization revisited : a reply to Talal Asad / José Casanova What is an "authorizing discourse"? / Steven C. Caton Fasting for Laden : the politics of secularization in contemporary India / Partha Chatterjee Europe : a minor tradition / William E. Connolly Secularism and the argument from nature / Veena Das On general and divine economy : Talal Asad's genealogy of the secular and Emmanuel Levinas's critique of capitalism, colonialism, and money / Hent de Vries The tragic sensibility of Talal Asad / David Scott The grammar of redemption / George Shulman Subjects and agents in the history of imperialism and resistance / Jon E. Wilson Responses / Talal Asad.