Practices of life and the religious character of capitalism

an analysis through weber, Benjamin, and Foucault

Elettra Stimilli

pp. 131-147

in: Andreas Oberprantacher, Andrei Siclodi (eds), Subjectivation in political theory and contemporary practices, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016

Abstract

In this chapter, Stimilli analyses the recent return of religion on the public scene of politics. Starting from the cultural transformation occurring at the core of neoliberalism, the author suggests that having "faith in the market" is a new mode of subjectivation and the main device of global politics. In this sense, the writings of Max Weber, Walter Benjamin, and Michel Foucault, in particular their respective critiques of the capitalist economy beyond the strictly economic field, become critical again: areas seemingly unrelated to the economy turn out to be pivotal for the understanding of the "religious mechanisms' that are governing these days, not least in their predominant appearance as neoliberalism.

Cited authors

Weber Max

Foucault Michel

Benjamin Walter