How do people’s religious beliefs, spiritual strivings and desires impact political economy and ecology? What is the role of religion in the history of colonialism, settler colonialism and their terraforming impact on the planet? Did Christianity create capitalism and extractivism? Is Capitalism itself a religion? Is Money the new God? And why are so many political struggles in the contemporary world explicitly framed in terms of the sacred and religion? Will the Gods save us from climate catastrophe?

Religion & the Planetary Crises explores the historical role of religion - especially colonial Christianity - in the creation of the contemporary planetary crises (wherein climate emergency and legacies of racism intersect with neoliberal capitalist crises of authority, mental-health). We will explore religious dimensions of contemporary political economy – including Neoliberal economics, international development, settler colonialism and extractive industries. We will also explore the importance of religion and spirituality as practices of resistance within environmentalist, indigenous and anti-colonial movements.

The module develops advanced skills in cultural, social, and anti/de/post-colonial theory. It takes up classic debates from social theory about the relationship between modernity, capitalism and religion and brings them up to date by setting them in the context of planetary crises and colonial history. We will engage with classic and cutting-edge social, cultural, political and anti/de/post-colonial theory, alongside religious and fictional writings, and think through examples from Africa, America and Europe. The module is deliberately interdisciplinary (or anti-disciplinary) bringing different forms of writing and argument into conversation with more conventional forms of social theory.  

Indicative week by week outline 

1) Colonial Histories & Current Catastrophes: Parables for a Planet in Crisis

2) Enclosures & Witch Hunts from Europe to the Americas

3) Transatlantic Liberation Theology & the Land

4) Maroons/Quilombos & Nature in Afro-Brazilian Religion

5) Evangelical Christianity & Mining in the British Empire

7) ‘Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back’: The Sacred & Indigenous Resurgence

8) Capitalism As Religion: Ecological Destruction & Devotion to the Money God

9) Evangelical Christianity, Neoliberalism & Climate Politics

10) Theologies of Life & the Pope of the Poor: Contemporary Christian Environmentalism

Key Information:

Optional Module

15 CATS

Summative Assessment: Assessed Essay (100%)

Teaching: 2 hour lecture and 1 hour seminar per week

Module Convenor: Claire BlencoweLink opens in a new window