Althusser and Theology

“Louis Althusser transformed the entire field of the materialist theory of ideology with his two contributions: outlining the process of interpellation as the central ideological mechanism, and conceiving ideology as a set of material practices and rituals. Althusser himself began as a Catholic thinker, so no wonder that both of these features inherently relate to theology. The volume edited by Agon Hamza explores in detail all the implications and inconsistencies of this link between Althusserian theory of ideology and theology. It demonstrates how Althusser remains a central point of reference in today's revival of the theologico-political. It brings us into the very heart of today's intense debates, and is thus simply indispensable for anyone interested in our spiritual predicament – which ultimately means for everyone who is engaged in serious thinking.”
—Slavoj Žižek

“Agon Hamza’s collection of essays on the theological dimension of Louis Althusser’s philosophy offers a wholly new look at a thinker who seemed to have already been subjected to a thorough scholarly examination. It turns out, as Hamza points out in his introduction, that we must add an additional moment to the usual periodization of Althusser’s work. This usual periodization begins with the epoch of For Marx and Reading Capital, moves to the time of selfcriticism, and concludes with the late turn away from dialectics. Hamza and his contributors provide a compelling claim for including an early Althusser in this schema, an Althusser before the appearance of the Marxist works that made him one of the best known French theorists.”
—Todd McGowan, Continental Thought & Theory

“In a moment of very strong development for the Althusserian Studies, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of For Marx and Reading Capital, Agon Hamza and collaborators come up with a completely original and path breaking collection of essays on Althusser’s religious and theological background, which highlight a decisive side of his thought and commitments. Beginning with a superb memorial piece by Stanislas Breton, who was perhaps Althusser’s closest friend and interlocutor in the last years, and ending with a bold ‘Althusserian’ analysis of contemporary theological-political confrontations of the West with Islamic movements, it encompasses many different encounters and categories. Conventional images are broken and exciting hypotheses are tested. I recommend it to every scholar and student of contemporary philosophy who wants a fresh perspective.”
—Etienne Balibar, Kingston University

“‘I became a communist because I was a Catholic’, Althusser claimed in an interview in 1980. The present volume is the first to explore in depth his relationship to the Christian-Catholic legacy, a legacy he never renounced, despite of his loss of faith after the war, but rather transformed it into a new opening towards the materialist dialectics. Agon Hamza has gathered a formidable group of scholars who provide ample reflection, from a variety of perspectives, on the profound trace this legacy has left throughout Althusser’s oeuvre and that may well serve as a clue to his thought. A must reading for all of us for whom Althusser’s theoretical intervention still represents a crucial turn.”
—Mladen Dolar, University of Ljubljana

"This is a stimulating collection which can be read as a call to explore a different kind of theology and a different kind of politics."
—Derek Wall, Marx & Philosophy Review of Books