Religion, Politics and the New Materialism

"Crockett, Das, and Pratihar have generated a work of extraordinary interest and cross-disciplinary attractiveness. This book’s timeliness signals the materialization of both a longer term and at the same time extraordinarily fresh subject matter. The chapters are scintillating but not obscure in their transdisciplinary liveliness. Together they offer an approach that an ethically concerned theory should follow more often: they convey their indispensable economic/political/ecological practicality with an alluring creativity."

—Catherine Keller, Drew University, USA

"Religion, Politics and New Materialism is a vital and timely collection of essays. The fragile truce among liberalism, capitalism, religion, and the environment is crumbling. The chapters, drawing on the resources of New Materialism, Energy Humanities, and Political Theology, seek to understand the nature of the truce, its limits, and what future might be possible in its wake. Taken as a whole, this collection is a tour de force of contemporary scholarship, which accompanies the reader in an urgent engagement of political imagination."

—Brent Adkins, Roanoke College, USA

This volume addresses the critical role of religion in the world today, and how it is caught up in the transition from modern liberalism to postmodern neoliberalism. It explores how religion is always implicated in political formations, as well as how contemporary politics has religious influences and effects. The interconnection between religion and politics is informed by the philosophy of New Materialism and set within a planetary context that acknowledges the human role in climate change.

Prof. Clayton Crockett is Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Central Arkansas, USA

Prof. Saswat Samay Das is Associate Professor of Critical Theory in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India 

Dr. Ananya Roy Pratihar is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Institute of Management and Information Science, Bhubaneswar, India