Negative Ecstasies: Georges Bataille and the Study of Religion

by Jeremy Biles (Editor), Kent L. Brintnall (Editor)

Despite Georges Bataille’s acknowledged influence on major poststructuralist thinkers―including Foucault, Derrida, Kristeva, Lacan, Baudrillard, and Barthes―and his prominence in literary, cultural, and social theory, rarely has he been taken up by scholars of religion, even as issues of the sacred were central to his thinking. Bringing together established scholars and emerging voices, Negative Ecstasies engages Bataille from the perspective of religious studies and theology, forging links with feminist and queer theory, economics, secularism, psychoanalysis, fat studies, and ethics. As these essays demonstrate, Bataille’s work bears significance to contemporary questions in the academy and vital issues in the world. We continue to ignore him at our peril.

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 3, 2015

Reviews

[Neal Spadafora · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection, Georges Bataille, in his brilliance and horror, is regarded as a theorist of religion. Rather than revisiting the common names that have carried philosophy of religion for several decades—Heidegger, Derrida, Levinas—Biles and Brintnall have brought together essays that expound upon Bataille’s concept of the sacred and religion. While not attempting to construct a ‘Bataillian theory of religion,’ these essays excavate Bataille’s influence on significant French postmodernists, think with Bataille about contemporary cultural phenomenon, and use Bataille to question concepts of the self and sovereignty. In bringing together Amy Hollywood, Jean-Joseph Goux, Alphonso Lingis, Lynne Gerber, and others, Negative Ecstasies is a collection that solidifies Bataille’s place within the study of religion and the sacred.

There are many theorists, philosophers, and writers who are not considered reputable sources for ‘proper’ study on continental philosophy of religion. Bataille is one such philosopher. Given Bataille’s biography is often not palatable to many scholars who study religion, his oeuvre is cast aside as ludicrous and academically unserious. Fortunately, Biles and Brintnall crucially recognize the import Bataille’s work has for the study of religion.