The theopolitics of art: Qur'anic objects and their publics in Indonesia

Abstract

This innovative and timely reassessment of political theology opens new lines of critical investigation into the intersections of religion and politics in contemporary Asia. Moving beyond a focus on the (post-) Christian West, this volume locates 'development' - conceptualised as a set of modern, transnational networks of ideas and practices of improvement that connect geographically disparate locations - as a vital focal point for critical investigations into Asian political theologies.

Investigating the sacred dimensions of power through concepts of transcendence, sacrifice, victimhood, aspiration and salvation, the chapters in this collection demonstrate how European and Asian modernities are bound together through genealogical, institutional, and theo-political entanglements, as well as a long history of global interactions.

With contributions by leading anthropologists, sociologists and political scientists, this volume brings new theoretical approaches into conversation with detailed empirical case studies grounded in modern Asia, offering a fresh and critical analysis of the ways in which political theology is imagined, materialised and contested both within and beyond nation-states Show more