The Politics of Metanoia: Towards a Post-Nationalistic Political Theology in Ethiopia (Europäische Hochschulschriften / European University Studies / Publications Universitaires Européennes)

"This book examines and critiques secular modes of self-writing in Ethiopia that put considerable emphasis on the enactment of national/ethnic identity leading to an equivocal situation wherein the ethos that binds people has been greatly eroded. Its analysis demonstrates that such modes of thought are flawed not only on the notion of the human subject, but also inappropriately position the religious or the theological. The book argues that a theological turn generates theological resources for a social horizon of hope -- for the apotheosis of the bond of togetherness -- which risks thinking politics in an altogether different way beyond the ethno-national logic. This, as the author argues, paves the way for the possibility of a new political subject and the reinvention of politics"--Provided by publisher Cover Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Ethiopia in Academic Discourse The Functionalist Paradigm The Instrumentalist Paradigm Why A Theological Turn? Why Political Theology? A Hermeneutical Approach Theology and Social Theories Theoretical Frameworks Outline of the Argument Part I Imaginative Practices 1 Ideology and Identity 1.1 Introduction 1.2 A Materialist Account of Ideology 1.3 Interpellation and Identity 1.4 Ideological Apparatuses and Practices 1.5 Conclusion 2 Technologies of the Self 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Self-techniques and Modern Identities Confessional Technologies Self-Writing 2.3 Ethics as Practices of Freedom 2.4 The Logic of Subjectivisation 2.5 Conclusion 3 Agency and the Self 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Preliminary Remarks on Ricoeur’s Action Theory 3.3 Narrative Identity and Ideology 3.4 Utopian Imagination 3.5 Conclusion Reflections on Part I Part II Ethno-political Imagination 4 The Politics of Integration: The Emergence of Homo Ǽthiopicus 4.1 Introduction 4.2 The Narrative of Greater Ethiopia 4.3 The Imaginary Singularity of Ethiopians 4.4 Nationalistic Absorption of Christian Identity 4.5 The Imagination of National Self-determination The National Question Practices of War The Crisis of Multi-ethnic Politics 4.6 Conclusion 5 Ethno-politics: The Ethiopian as Homo Ethnicus 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Modes of Self-Writing and Polarised Subjectivities The Narrative of Colonisation (Oromia) The Narrative of Domination Truth Regimes and War of Memories 5.3 Self, Federal Polity and the Global Order Enacting the Federal Body Politic New Trends and Federal Politics 5.4 A Turn to Metaphysics: Re-enchanting Tradition The Traditional Matrix A Return to the Source Back to the Stalemate? 5.5 Conclusion Reflections on Part II Part III Theo-political Imagination 6 Theological Introduction 7 Divine-Humanity and Agency 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Two-Sophias Christology and Cosmic-mediation The Problem of Divine-Human Unity and Chalcedon The Sophianicity of the Divine and the Human Double Kenosis 7.3 The Event as Task: A Metanoic Re-turn to the Event 7.4 Conclusion 8 A Christian Social Ontology 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Trinity and Ontology Personhood and Differentiated-Unity in the Holy Trinity In the Image of the Holy Trinity 8.3 The Ontology of Work 8.4 States of Peace and Privation Evil and the Concept of Limitation Freedom or Self-determination 8.5 The Church as Counter-polity Holy Corporeality: The Sobornost’ of the Church Noumenal Ontologism: Enacting Sobornost’ 8.6 Conclusion 9 The Politics of Metanoia 9.1 Introduction 9.2 The Metanoic Community A Metanoic Return: Towards a Christian Culture of the Self Solidarity beyond the Ethnos 9.3 Metanoia and the Kingdom 9.4 Sobornost’, Free Theocracy? 9.5 Conclusion Reflections on Part III Conclusion Bibliograpy Ideology And Identity -- Technologies Of The Self -- Agency And The Self -- The Politics Of Integration : The Emergence Of Homo æthiopicus -- Ethno-politics : The Ethiopian As Homo Ethnicus -- Theological Introduction -- Divine-humanity And Agency -- A Christian Social Ontology -- The Politics Of Metanoia. Theodros Assefa Teklu. Includes Bibliographical References. Ethno-national identity is an outcome of ideological interpellation, self-writing and narratives. Politics as the enactment of identity has led Ethiopian politics to a dead-end. A theological turn can open the ontological possibility of a new political subject and a reinvention of politics that transcends the impasse.