This seminar in theory will explore the modern history of the concept of 'fanaticism' and its role in the development of political modernity. A focus on the concept of the "fanatic" (and its cognates) from the perspective of its various uses in political and religious thought from the Early Modern period through the Enlightenment and up to the present day, provides a fascinating opportunity for a critical review of the secular, rationalist, and scientific assumptions underwriting modern political forms and concepts, especially those of liberal democracy. At the same time, the course will offer critical insight into the ways in which religious and political differences among colonial "others" were, and continue to be, central to the elaboration of Western theoretical discourse on fanaticism and extremism as forms of "political pathology."
School of Graduate Studies University of Toronto 63 St. George Street Toronto, ON Canada M5S 2Z9 Calendar Contacts |
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