Planetary Loves - (Transdisciplinary Theological Colloquia) by Stephen D Moore & Mayra Rivera (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Postcolonial theology has recently emerged as a site of intense intellectual and political energy and has taken its place in the interdisciplinary field of postcolonial studies. This volume is animated by the conviction that postcolonial theology is now ready for a second, deeper phase of engagement with postcolonial theory, one that moves beyond the general to the specific. No critic has been more emblematic of the challenging and contested field of postcolonial theory than Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. In this volume, the product of a theological colloquium in which Spivak herself participated, theologians and biblical scholars engage with her thought in order to catalyze a diverse range of original theological and exegetical projects.

The volume opens with a "topography" of postcolonial theology and also includes other valuable introductory essays. At the center of the collection are transcriptions of two extended public dialogues with Spivak on theology and religion in general. A further dozen essays appropriate Spivak's work for theological and ethical reflection.

The volume is also significant for the larger field of postcolonial studies in that it is the first to focus centrally on Spivak's immensely suggestive and vital concept of "planetarity."

Review Quotes

Gayatri Spivak's reflections on the concept of planetarity raise urgent questions about the possibility of collectivity, and the challenges of responsible engagement with subaltern constituencies. The essays that form this volume go some way towards elucidating the importance of this concept for contemporary thought, and also draw out the critical relationship between Spivak's thought and theology.-----Stephen Morton, University of Southampton

In the theological marketplace, theologies come and go. While postcolonial theologies are not immune to the market, they may prove to have the power to cut through some of its pretenses. This is so because they are 'angled towards the other' (Spivak) and a majority of the world's population, who can no longer be repressed.-----Joerg Rieger, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

This timely and valuable volume follows from a conference on Gyatri Spivak's theorizing and reading-approaches, applying and amplifying these in the field of theological studies. The result is an amazing collection of essays which dazzles with new insights and reflections, and is an attractive addition to the ever-growing literature on postcolonial theology. Aside from its erudition, this book is for those who care about love, compassion, justice and tolerance in an increasingly conflict-ridden world.-----R.S. Sugirtharajah, author of The Bible and Empire

About the Author

Stephen D. Moore is Edmund S. Janes Professor of New Testament Studies at the Theological School, Drew University.

Mayra Rivera is a professor of religion and Latinx studies at Harvard University.