The Babylon Complex

Theopolitical Fantasies of War, Sex, and Sovereignty

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Bible & Bible Studies, Hermeneutics, Christianity, Church, Church & State
Cover of the book The Babylon Complex by Erin Runions, Fordham University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Erin Runions ISBN: 9780823257362
Publisher: Fordham University Press Publication: April 3, 2014
Imprint: Fordham University Press Language: English
Author: Erin Runions
ISBN: 9780823257362
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Publication: April 3, 2014
Imprint: Fordham University Press
Language: English

Babylon is a surprisingly multivalent symbol in U.S. culture and politics. Political citations of Babylon range widely, from torture at Abu Ghraib to depictions of Hollywood glamour and decadence. In political discourse, Babylon appears in conservative ruminations on democratic law, liberal appeals to unity, Tea Party warnings about equality, and religious advocacy for family values. A composite biblical figure, Babylon is used to celebrate diversity and also to condemn it, to sell sexuality and to regulate it, to galvanize war and to worry about imperialism.

Erin Runions explores the significance of these shifts and contradictions, arguing that together they reveal a theopolitics that tries to balance the drive for U.S. dominance with the countervailing ideals and subjectivities of economic globalization. Examining the confluence of cultural formations, biblical interpretations, and (bio)political philosophies, The Babylon Complex shows how theopolitical arguments for war, sexual regulation, and political control both assuage and contribute to anxieties about waning national sovereignty. Theoretically sophisticated and engaging, this remarkable book complicates our understanding of how the Bible affects U.S political ideals and subjectivities.

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

Babylon is a surprisingly multivalent symbol in U.S. culture and politics. Political citations of Babylon range widely, from torture at Abu Ghraib to depictions of Hollywood glamour and decadence. In political discourse, Babylon appears in conservative ruminations on democratic law, liberal appeals to unity, Tea Party warnings about equality, and religious advocacy for family values. A composite biblical figure, Babylon is used to celebrate diversity and also to condemn it, to sell sexuality and to regulate it, to galvanize war and to worry about imperialism.

Erin Runions explores the significance of these shifts and contradictions, arguing that together they reveal a theopolitics that tries to balance the drive for U.S. dominance with the countervailing ideals and subjectivities of economic globalization. Examining the confluence of cultural formations, biblical interpretations, and (bio)political philosophies, The Babylon Complex shows how theopolitical arguments for war, sexual regulation, and political control both assuage and contribute to anxieties about waning national sovereignty. Theoretically sophisticated and engaging, this remarkable book complicates our understanding of how the Bible affects U.S political ideals and subjectivities.

More books from Fordham University Press

Cover of the book Fordham, A History of the Jesuit University of New York by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Drawing the Line by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Is Critique Secular? by Erin Runions
Cover of the book The Weight of Love by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Theory at Yale by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Temporality and Trinity by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Education at War by Erin Runions
Cover of the book The Rebellious No by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Human Rights, Inc. by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Art and Morality by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Imperial Babel by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Beyond the Supersquare by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Realizing the Witch by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Post-Mandarin by Erin Runions
Cover of the book Asylum Speakers by Erin Runions
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