Sacrificial pasts and messianic futures: Religion as a political prospect in René Girard and Giorgio Agamben

Religion has become a vital resource for attempts to rethink the meaning of the political. This article rehearses the efforts of two recent figures, René Girard and Giorgio Agamben, to transform the political by renewing its connection to religion. Both thinkers struggle to escape politics as define...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy & social criticism 2007-07, Vol.33 (5), p.563-595
Main Author: Fox, Christopher A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
20th century
Agamben, Giorgio
Antiquity
Christianity
Girard, René
Historical studies (History of philosophy. History of ideas)
Messianic movements
Messianism
Philosophy
Politics
Religion
Religion & politics
Sacred
Sacrifice
Social theory
Sovereignty
Violence
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Summary:Religion has become a vital resource for attempts to rethink the meaning of the political. This article rehearses the efforts of two recent figures, René Girard and Giorgio Agamben, to transform the political by renewing its connection to religion. Both thinkers struggle to escape politics as defined by Carl Schmitt's friend/enemy distinction. Girard and Agamben do clash ideologically, but their inquiries into sacrifice and messianism take similar courses. Regarding origins, Girard argues for the sacrificial crisis as the common parent to religion and politics. Conversely, for Agamben, the Roman figure of homo sacer distinguishes politics from religion. With respect to the future, Girard's messianism installs Christian belief as the only way to move beyond violence. By contrast, Agamben steers Pauline messianism toward the efforts to displace sovereignty and reopen the political. I conclude that Agamben breaks with Schmitt while Girard reinscribes his politics at a higher level.
ISSN:0191-4537
1461-734X
DOI:10.1177/0191453707078920