The Spirit of Populism: Political Theologies in Polarized Times - Paperback

by Ulrich Schmiedel (Volume Editor), Joshua Ralston (Volume Editor)

Populism is a buzzword. This compilation explores the significance of religion for the controversies stirred up by populist politics in European and American contexts in order to understand what lies behind the buzz. Engaging Jewish, Christian, and Islamic political thought and theology, contributions by more than twenty established and emerging scholars explore right-wing and left-wing protests, offering critical interpretations and creative interventions for a polarized public square. Both methodologically and thematically, the compilation moves beyond essentialist definitions of religion, encouraging a comparative approach to political theology today.

Ulrich Schmiedel and Joshua Ralston discuss their book on Brill's Humanities Matter podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Author Biography

Ulrich Schmiedel is Lecturer in Theology, Politics and Ethics at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh. The Deputy Director of Edinburgh's Centre for Theology and Public Issues, he has written widely on political and public theology, including Elasticized Ecclesiology: The Concept of Community after Ernst Troeltsch (2017) and The Claim to Christianity: Responding to the Far Right (2020), with Hannah Strømmen. Joshua Ralston is Reader in Christian-Muslim Relations at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh and Director of the Christian-Muslim Studies Network. He has written widely on comparative theology, political theology, and protestant theology, including Law and the Rule of God: A Christian Engagement with Sharī'a (2020).