Description
From the counter-reformation through the twentieth century, the notion of sacrifice has played a key role in French culture and nationalist politics. Ivan Strenski traces the history of sacrificial thought in France, starting from its origins in Roman Catholic theology. Throughout, he highlights not just the dominant discourse on sacrifice but also the many competing conceptions that contested it. Strenski suggests that the annihilating spirituality rooted in the Catholic model of Eucharistic sacrifice persuaded the judges in the Dreyfus Case to overlook or play down his possible innocence because a scapegoat was needed to expiate the sins of France and save its army from disgrace. Strenski also suggests that the French army's strategy in World War I, French fascism, and debates over public education and civic morals during the Third Republic all owe much to Catholic theology of sacrifice and Protestant reinterpretations of it. Pointing out that every major theorist of sacrifice is French, including Bataille, Durkheim, Girard, Hubert, and Mauss, Strenski argues that we cannot fully understand their work without first taking into account the deep roots of sacrificial thought in French history.
About the Author
Ivan Strenski is the Holstein Family Community Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside. He is the author most recently of Durkheim and the Jews of France, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Reviews
"Contesting Sacrifice will make an important contribution to our understanding of French culture. Ivan Strenski offers a dynamic look at the idea of sacrifice in France, then examines the acting out of these notions during pivotal moments in French history. This is an insightful new study." - Susan Dunn, author of Sister Revolutions: French Lightning, American Light
Book Information
ISBN 9780226777368
Author Ivan Strenski
Format Hardback
Page Count 237
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 539g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 16mm * 2mm
About the Author
Ivan Strenski is the Holstein Family Community Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside. He is the author most recently of Durkheim and the Jews of France, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Reviews
"Contesting Sacrifice will make an important contribution to our understanding of French culture. Ivan Strenski offers a dynamic look at the idea of sacrifice in France, then examines the acting out of these notions during pivotal moments in French history. This is an insightful new study." - Susan Dunn, author of Sister Revolutions: French Lightning, American Light
Book Information
ISBN 9780226777368
Author Ivan Strenski
Format Hardback
Page Count 237
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 539g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 16mm * 2mm
