National and religious identities : an interpretation of Regis Debray's Critique of political reason

This thesis is a multi-disciplinary inquiry into the nature and functioning of national identity. By interpreting a single text, The Critique of Political Reason, by the French philosopher and activist Regis Debray, a range of new analytical concepts are located and some standard concepts are recast in new terms. The religious nature of social identities, that is, the role of the sacred in society, is identified and explained. Some mainstream theories of ideology, religion, and nationalism are explored in an attempt to determine whether these tools of analysis are practicable and how these theoretical resources might be reworked in the light of Debray's analysis. As Debray shows, the national question is not a problem to be solved but a persisting dilemma to be engaged at the levels of both theory and practice.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Religious Studies

Year dc:date.issued

1997

Author dc:creator

• Dexter, Phillip

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Chidester, David

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13906

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/13906