The Postmodern Saints of France: Refiguring 'the Holy' in Contemporary French Philosophy

Description

From the mid to the late 20th century various French thinkers have at times toyed with the label of 'the saint', applying it to friends, colleagues, the revered and even the worshipped such as Genet, Sartre, Camus or Foucault. Despite this profaning of the term, however, there are many subtle truths which emerge from its usage among such writers. This volume is devoted to exploring certain varied notions of 'the saint' in recent French philosophical and literary thought from within a theological context, offering insights and valuable contributions toward how we understand sainthood in cultural, philosophical and religious terms. Each essay focuses on the convergence of a particular author's work and their various (re)formulations of 'saintliness' in their writings, whether this concept is directly expressed in their writings or not. In general, the aim of the volume is to develop a critical engagement between each authors' philosophical worldview and historical notions of sainthood, such that we are capable of providing new understandings of what a 'saint' could be said to be in our world today.

Colby Dickinson is a post-doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies (KULeuven, Belgium).

What makes this book so attractive is the conceit at the heart of its premise: 'The Postmodern Saints of France'. This collection of essays presents an open-handed invitation to some of the most insightful contributors to propose, equivocate, deny; to enter into a discussion which is irregular by its very nature. This conceptual irregularity is most welcome as a point of entry into an exploration of the lives and work of a generation of French thinkers. -- Richard Saville-Smith, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh * The Expository Times * ...one can certainly recommend the present text on an academic basis as an entirely helpful aid to understand more deeply the both tense and fruitful dialogue between French postmodernism and Christianity...Overall, The Postmodern Saints of France can be recommended as a helpful addition to the growing body of literature dedicated to unearthing the complex relationship between postmodernism and Christianity. -- Conor Sweeney * Religion and Theology *