Description
Book SynopsisDrawing on a wide range of sources—from Toni Morrison to Derrida to grassroots “death positive” movements—Beatrice Marovich critiques a political theology that pits life and death against each other in a state of endless war. Adapting the figure of “Sister Death” from Saint Francis, she calls for recognizing that life and death are family.
Trade ReviewFew of the countless books written about death are written with such brilliance, imagination, and grace. An exemplary collection of attentive, intelligent and generous readings,
Sister Death offers a rethinking of much of the history of the Christian West’s affective and reflective, martial and spiritual—and violent—rapport with death. -- Gil Anidjar, author of
Blood: A Critique of ChristianityEmbracing finitude, facing but never glorifying that most difficult sibling,
Sister Death guides us on a darkly mesmerizing journey. Beatrice Marovich rethinks unthinkables of routine loss and existential horror, of mass death and ecological extinction. Exposing a long political theology of death, she reveals—lucidly, beautifully—the enlivening alternative. -- Catherine Keller, author of
Cloud of the Impossible: Negative Theology and Planetary EntanglementWith an intimate, probing voice, Beatrice Marovich invites us to meditate with her on death. Marovich is versed in but not constrained by Continental philosophy, versed in but not constrained by Christian theology. With these tools, she crafts a smart, subtle, and at times moving narrative, elevated to the next level by its gorgeous illustrations. -- Vincent W. Lloyd, author of
Black Dignity: The Struggle Against DominationThere is a beauty and kind spirit in Marovich’s writing that kept me engaged. * America *
Marovich’s writing is complex, rigorous, and theory-heavy; it is not for church book clubs. At the same time, it is also elegantly written and at times even personal. * Reading Religion *
Table of ContentsList of Works
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Sister Death
1. Life, Death, and Lifedeath
2. The War with Death
3. The Human-Above-Death
4. Constellated Negatives
5. Sisterhood and Enmity
6. Natal Disturbance
Conclusion: Into the Dirt
Notes
Bibliography
Index
