Hermeneutic Humility and the Political Theology of Cinema

Blind Paul

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts, Religion & Spirituality
Cover of the book Hermeneutic Humility and the Political Theology of Cinema by Sean Desilets, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sean Desilets ISBN: 9781317354703
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: June 10, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Sean Desilets
ISBN: 9781317354703
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: June 10, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

This book revisits the tradition of Western religious cinema in light of scholarship on St. Paul’s political theology. The book’s subtitle derives from the account in the Book of Acts that St. Paul was temporarily blinded in the wake of his conversion on the road to Damascus. In imitation of Paul, the films on which Sean Desilets’s analysis hinges (including those of Carl-Th. Dreyer, Robert Bresson, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Carlos Reygadas) place a god-blind mechanism, the camera, between themselves and the divine. Desilets calls the posture they adopt "hermeneutic humility": hermeneutic in that it interprets the world, but humble in that it pays particular—even obsessive—attention to its own limits. Though these films may not consciously reflect Pauline theology, Desilets argues that they participate in a messianic-hermeneutic tradition that runs from Paul through St. Augustine, Blaise Pascal, Karl Barth, and Walter Benjamin, and which contributes significantly to contemporary discussions in poststructuralist literary theory, political theology, and religious studies. Desilets’s insightful explication of Jean-Luc Nancy’s deconstruction of Christianity and Georgio Agamben’s recent work on religion makes a substantial contribution to film philosophy and emerging critical trends in the study of religion and film. This book puts forward a nuanced theoretical framework that will be useful for film scholars, students of contemporary political theology, and scholars interested in the intersections of religion and media.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book revisits the tradition of Western religious cinema in light of scholarship on St. Paul’s political theology. The book’s subtitle derives from the account in the Book of Acts that St. Paul was temporarily blinded in the wake of his conversion on the road to Damascus. In imitation of Paul, the films on which Sean Desilets’s analysis hinges (including those of Carl-Th. Dreyer, Robert Bresson, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Carlos Reygadas) place a god-blind mechanism, the camera, between themselves and the divine. Desilets calls the posture they adopt "hermeneutic humility": hermeneutic in that it interprets the world, but humble in that it pays particular—even obsessive—attention to its own limits. Though these films may not consciously reflect Pauline theology, Desilets argues that they participate in a messianic-hermeneutic tradition that runs from Paul through St. Augustine, Blaise Pascal, Karl Barth, and Walter Benjamin, and which contributes significantly to contemporary discussions in poststructuralist literary theory, political theology, and religious studies. Desilets’s insightful explication of Jean-Luc Nancy’s deconstruction of Christianity and Georgio Agamben’s recent work on religion makes a substantial contribution to film philosophy and emerging critical trends in the study of religion and film. This book puts forward a nuanced theoretical framework that will be useful for film scholars, students of contemporary political theology, and scholars interested in the intersections of religion and media.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Supervision in Social Work by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Sexuality, Gender and Power by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Political Genealogy After Foucault by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Pharmaceutical Patent Protection and World Trade Law by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Japanese Industrial History: Technology, Urbanization and Economic Growth by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Applied Statistics for Public Policy by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Write Out of the Classroom by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Colonial North America and the Atlantic World by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Simply Psychology by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Modernism and the Spirit of the City by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Structural Models and African Poetics by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Geoproperty by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Drones in Society by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Industries, Firms, and Jobs by Sean Desilets
Cover of the book Retail and Commercial Planning (RLE Retailing and Distribution) by Sean Desilets
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy