Description
Book SynopsisOpening with the provocative query "what might an anthropology of the secular look like?" this book explores the concepts, practices, and political formations of secularism. The focus is on major historical shifts that have shaped secular sensibilities and attitudes towards Islam in the modern West and the Middle East.
Trade Review"A dark but brilliantly original work,
Formations of the Secular is one of the most important books on religion and the modern in recent years."—
H-Net Reviews"
Formations of the Secular is also a difficult if stunningly eloquent book, a response both elusive and forthright to the many shelves of 'books on terrorism' which this country's trade publishers are rushing into print."—
Bryn Mawr Review of Comparative Literature"This wonderfully illuminating book should be read alongside the author's
Genealogies of Religion . . ."—
Religion"...Asad's brilliant study remains a defining piece of intellectual and scholarly contribution for all of those interested in exploring the religious and the secular in the modern era."—
The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences"...one of the most interesting scholars of religious writing today."—
Christian Scholar's Review
