- Title
- Althusser's religious revolution
- Creator
- Boer, Roland
- Relation
- Althusser and Theology: Religion, Politics and Philosophy p. 18-30
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004291553_004
- Publisher
- Brill
- Resource Type
- book chapter
- Date
- 2016
- Description
- In 'A Matter of Fact', written in 1948, Althusser attempts to develop a theory of the revolution of religious life. The essay appeared at an important juncture of his life, for he was still a member of the Roman Catholic Church, but had recently joined the Communist Party of France. The tensions of that conjunction are clear, but I am interested in his attempt to extend, by analogy, the Marxist theory of social revolution into a revolution of personal spiritual life. In this effort, the context is the apparent untranscendable horizon of the Roman Catholic Church. So Althusser begins by outlining the condition of an ailing, out-of-date, and reactionary church. He then focuses on the conditions for wider social revolution, with which progressive members among the faithful must join in a politics of alliance. Finally, he attempts - all too briefly - to outline what a personal religious revolution might be. Instead of criticising him for breaking with Marxist orthodoxy, the more interesting question is how Althusser finds himself part of the long tradition of revolutionary Christianity.
- Subject
- Althusser; Roman Catholic Church; Marxist theory; social revolution
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1344313
- Identifier
- uon:29392
- Identifier
- ISBN:9789004291553
- Language
- eng
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