Violence, Entitlement, and Politics; A Theology on Transforming the Subject; 1

"This book is an exercise in political theology, exploring the problem of gender-based violence by focusing on violent male subjects and the issue of entitlement. It addresses gender-based violence in familial and military settings before engaging with a wider political context. The chapters draw on sources ranging from Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Étienne Balibar to Rowan Williams and Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. Entitlement is theorized and interpreted as a gender pattern, predisposing subjects toward controlling behaviour and/or violent actions. Steven Ogden develops a theology of transformation, stressing immanence. He examines entitled subjects, predisposed to violence, where transformation requires a limit-experience that wrenches the subject from itself. The book also reflects on today's pervasive strongman politics, where political rationalities foster proprietorial thinking and entitlement gender patterns, and how theology is called to develop counter-discourses and counter-practices"-- Provided by publisher Violence, Entitlement, and Politics Cover -1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 Reference works 8 1. The problem of gender-based violence 10 What was he thinking? 10 Foucault and theology 13 Foucault's changing subject 17 The entitled man and strongman politics 18 Articulating theology's political vocation 20 A theology of transformation 22 Chapter outline 24 Notes 25 References 26 2. Violence, entitlement, and politics 31 The rationalities that shape subject formation 31 A way of reading violence 32 The age of security: Biopolitics, fear, and the logic of pre-emption 33 The dispositif 35 Violence 36 A history of violence 37 The entitlement gender pattern 40 Violence and masculinity 43 The dispositif of strongman politics 45 The manhood-politics relation 48 Notes 50 References 51 3. The significance of entitlement 55 Entitlement 55 Intimate partner violence 58 On men who murder women 59 I know I did the right thing (because I have the right to do it) 61 Entitlement discourses and practices 62 Using others as objects 64 Proprietorial thinking 65 I stole what is mine 66 The strategic and urgent defence of entitlement 68 The brotherhood 69 What is at stake? Pre-emption and the fear of losing entitlements 70 Made to feel like a woman 72 Notes 74 References 75 4. Foucault, Confession, and Transformation 79 Overview 79 A critique of premodern churches in the Latin West 80 A sense of obligation 81 Foucault and transformation 83 A truth-telling life 87 An alternative trajectory 90 The concept of desubjectivation 91 Extending and developing the concept of desubjectivation 93 Notes 96 References 97 5. A theology of transformation 101 Overview 101 Rowan Williams 101 Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza 105 The triptych of Nicodeumus (Jn 3:1-15; 7:45-52; 19:38-42) 108 After God? 108 The lens of eternal life 110 The transformation of Nicodemus 111 Notes 115 References 116 6. Transforming violent subjects 119 A theology of resistance 119 The entitled man: On why spiritual practices are not enough 120 Entrenched entitlement: The need for a broader approach 122 Strongman politics, political rationalities, and subject formation 123 Neoliberal rationality: The right of death and the power over life 124 Theology and the work of transformation 126 The church and the work of transformation 130 Baptism: Its political implications 131 The significance of the limit-experience 134 Notes 136 References 136 7. 6 January: An epiphany of entitlement 140 On reflection 140 Insights and questions 141 The problem of violence 144 Index 145 "This book is an exercise in political theology, exploring the problem of gender-based violence by focusing on violent male subjects and the issue of entitlement. It addresses gender-based violence in familial and military settings before engaging with a wider political context. The chapters draw on sources ranging from Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and E tienne Balibar to Rowan Williams and Elisabeth Schu ssler Fiorenza. Entitlement is theorized and interpreted as a gender pattern, predisposing subjects toward controlling behaviour and/or violent actions. Steven Ogden develops a theology of transformation, stressing immanence. He examines entitled subjects, predisposed to violence, where transformation requires a limit-experience that wrenches the subject from itself. The book also reflects on today's pervasive strongman politics, where political rationalities foster proprietorial thinking and entitlement gender patterns, and how theology is called to develop counter-discourses and counter-practices"-- This book is an exercise in political theology, exploring the problem of gender- based violence by focusing on violent male subjects and the issue of entitlement. It addresses gender-based violence in familial and military settings before engaging with a wider political context. The chapters draw on sources ranging from Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Étienne Balibar to Rowan Williams and Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza. Entitlement is theorized and interpreted as a gender pattern, predisposing subjects towards controlling behaviour and/or violent actions. Steven Ogden develops a theology of transformation, stressing immanence. He examines entitled subjects, predisposed to violence, where transformation requires a limit-experience that wrenches the subject from itself. The book then reflects on today's pervasive strongman politics, where political rationalities foster proprietorial thinking and entitlement gender patterns, and how theology is called to develop counter-discourses and counter-practices.