Essays in Anarchism and Religion: Volume 1

by Alexandre Christoyannopoulos (Editor), Matthew S. Adams (Editor), Benjamin J. Pauli (Contributor)

Anarchism and religion have historically had an uneasy relationship. Indeed, representatives of both sides have regularly insisted on the fundamental incompatibility of anarchist and religious ideas and practices. Yet, ever since the emergence of anarchism as an intellectual and political movement, a considerable number of religious anarchists have insisted that their religious tradition necessarily implies an anarchist political stance. Their stories are finally gaining increasing public and scholarly attention.

Reflecting both a rise of interest in anarchist ideas and activism on one hand, and the revival of religious ideas and movements in the political sphere on the other, this book examines a range of examples of overlaps and contestations between the two from a diverse range of academic perspectives.

The first pioneering volume of Essays in Anarchism & Religion comprises eight (peer-reviewed) essays from leading international scholars on topics ranging from the anarchism of the historical Jesus to Zen Buddhism and the philosophies of Max Stirner and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon.

In a world where political ideas increasingly matter once more, and religion is an increasingly visible aspect of global political life, these essays offer scholarly analysis of overlooked activists, ideas, and movements, and as such reveal the possibility of a powerful critique of contemporary global society.

Genres: Religion, Theology

318 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2017

About the author

Alexandre J.M.E. Christoyannopoulos (born 1979) is a French–Greek author and politics lecturer. He currently lectures at Loughborough University, England. Christoyannopoulos graduated in Economics from the University of Kent in 2000, then went on to earn an MA in International Relations and European Studies and a PhD in Religious Studies and Politics from the same university. His books Religious Anarchism: New Perspectives and Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel were the topics of his doctoral thesis.

Reviews

[Zoë Birss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is an essential collection of some of the voices in the long conversation between anarchism and religion. Every peer reviewed article in this book was of excellent quality, and thoroughly researched. Clear citations and bibliographies will help further research for any reader interested in this fascinating intersection.

Most helpful to me were the articles reviewing history and criticism, rather than pure rhetoric. In particular, I loved the article on the historical Jesus, the longest article in the book by far, and the most heavily cited. I also appreciated the editor's introductory essay, and the examination of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker's movement. The intersection of Shinran Buddhism with anarchism, especially in contrast with Zen, was very helpful. Other articles examining the anarchist, theistic, or anti-theistic perspectives of giants of philosophy were less interesting to me personally, but well written and well considered. The final essay argues that religion does not inevitably lead to servitude, allowing therefore for the potential for intersection with anarchist values. It made a fantastic end to the book. I would have put it first, personally, as an important initial argument before even considering the questions raised in the book. Still, as someone already convinced that conversation between these two communities is possible, I also found it a great conclusion.

For my needs, I intend to use the text of this book, licensed under the Creative Commons, to create zines of most, if not all, of the chapters within. Academics will find this an essential primary resource on the subject. I highly recommend this book.

I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for Volume 2, and contributing to it and any other projects by this team. Very good work.