One of the many challenges for readers of Agamben's sprawling and heterogeneous body of work is what to make of his increasingly insistent focus on theology. Agamben's Coming Philosophy brings together Colby Dickinson, the author of Agamben and Theology, and Adam Kotsko, the translator of several of Agamben's more recent theologically-oriented books, to discuss Agamben's unique approach to theology-and its profound implications for understanding Agamben's philosophical project and the deepest political and ethical problems of our time. The book covers the whole range of Agamben's work, from his earliest reflections to his forthcoming magnum opus, The Use of Bodies. Along the way, the authors provide an overview of Agamben's project as a whole, as well as incisive reflections on individual works and isolated themes. This volume is essential reading for anyone grappling with Agamben's work. The theological starting point leads to a thorough examination of Agamben's methodology, his relationship with his primary sources (most notably Walter Benjamin), and his relevance for questions of politics, ethics, and philosophy.


About the Authors:

Colby Dickinson is assistant professor of theology at Loyola University, Chicago. He is the author of Agamben and Theology (2011) and Between the Canon and the Messiah (2013), as well as numerous articles on contemporary continental philosophy and theology. He is editor of The Postmodern 'Saints' of France (2013) and The Shaping of Tradition: Context and Normativity (2013).

Adam Kotsko is assistant professor of humanities at Shimer College, Chicago. He is the author of Zizek and Theology (2008), Politics of Redemption (2010), and Why We Love Sociopaths: A Guide to Late Capitalist Television (2012). He is the translator of Agamben's The Sacrament of Language (2010), The Highest Poverty (2013), Opus Dei (2013), Pilate and Jesus (forthcoming) and The Use of Bodies (forthcoming). He blogs at An und fur sich (itself.wordpress.com).

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction, Adam Kotsko and Colby Dickinson

Part I: Agamben as a Reader of Benjamin

1. On the 'Coming Philosophy', Colby Dickinson

2. Reading the 'Critique of Violence', Adam Kotsko

3. Gestures of Text and Violence, Colby Dickinson

4. Citing 'Whatever' Authority, Colby Dickinson / Part II: Futures of Political Theology

5. Immanence as Revelation, Colby Dickinson

6. Agamben's Messianic Nihilism, Colby Dickinson

7. The Divisions of Sovereignty, Colby Dickinson

8. Perhaps Psychoanalysis?, Adam Kotsko

Part III: Methods, Economies, Theologies

9. Genealogy and Political Theology, Adam Kotsko

10. The 'Absence' of Gender, Colby Dickinson

11. The Theology of Neoliberalism, Adam Kotsko

12. Cur Deus Homo Sacer?, Colby Dickinson

13. Paul and the Jewish Alternative, Adam Kotsko

14. What is to be Done? The Endgame of the Homo Sacer Series, Adam Kotsko

15. Conclusion: Finding a New Use for Theology, Colby Dickinson and Adam Kotsko

Bibliography

Index