Performing the Secular Religion Representation and Politics 1st Edition by Milija Gluhovic, Jisha Menon ISBN 1137496088 9781137496089

Chapter 1: Introduction: Performing the Secular: Religion, Politics, and the Public Sphere

• Performance and Secular Public Spheres: This chapter likely sets the stage for the book by discussing how secularism and religion are performed in the public sphere, where public life and the display of religious beliefs intersect in social and political spaces.
• References: A list of sources used to introduce the themes of the book.

Chapter 2: Of Hypocrisy: “Wherein the Action and Utterance of the Stage, Bar, and Pulpit are Distinct”

• The Secular and the Sacred: A Question of Performance?: Examines the boundaries between the sacred and the secular, potentially asking whether both are forms of performance, especially in public settings like the theatre, politics, and religion.
• ‘Toler(n)ation’: Likely a discussion about tolerance and how different forms of belief and practice are tolerated (or not) in the secular public sphere.
• All the World’s a Theatre: References Shakespeare’s famous line, which suggests that life itself is a stage. This might examine how the public performance of religion and politics plays out in everyday life.
• ReformPerform: Likely an exploration of the ways in which performance can be a tool for social and political reform, especially in the context of religion and secularism.
• References: Cited works for further reading on the subjects discussed in the chapter.

Chapter 3: Dangerous Images: Theatre and the Transnational Public Sphere

• The Mozart Scandal: This chapter likely discusses a specific event (possibly referencing the controversy around Amadeus or a different scandal involving public performance) to illustrate how theatre can be a site of transnational dialogue and tension.
• Summary: A brief recap of the key points from the chapter.
• References: Cited works that support the chapter’s discussion.

Chapter 4: Thisworldly Wonderment: Contemporary British Theatre and Postsecularism

• The Postsecular Context: Explores how contemporary British theatre engages with postsecular ideas, where secularism and religion interact in complex ways within a postmodern context.
• Paul: Likely a reference to a play or character (possibly a modern reworking of biblical or theological themes) that exemplifies postsecular thought.
• Constellations and The Effect: These might be references to specific plays or performances (likely by British playwrights) that interrogate the secular and the sacred, exploring themes of fate, choice, and the complexities of modern existence.
• References: Cited works for the chapter.

Chapter 5: The ‘Secular Designs’ of Wole Soyinka

• This chapter focuses on the works of Wole Soyinka, a prominent Nigerian playwright and poet, exploring how his plays engage with secularism and spirituality, offering “secular designs” in his exploration of political and religious themes.
• References: Citations supporting the discussion of Soyinka’s works.

Chapter 6: Kamikaze Spectres and Transgenerational Memories in Winds of God

• Likely discusses Wole Soyinka’s Winds of God, examining how the play deals with the legacy of past trauma, the intergenerational transmission of memory, and how political and religious ideologies shape these memories.
• References: Cited works on Soyinka and memory in postcolonial theatre.

Chapter 7: “Face-to-Face”: Open Secularism and the Politics of Display in Quebec’s Bouchard-Taylor Commission

• ‘Dialogue Makes a Difference’: Discusses the significance of public dialogue in shaping secular policies.
• Using Public Dialogue to Rethink the Secular: Looks at how open dialogues about religion and politics can reshape public attitudes toward secularism.
• Reasonable Accommodation and ‘Bad Scripts’: Likely engages with Quebec’s controversy over “reasonable accommodation” of religious practices within the secular public sphere, critiquing dominant narratives or “bad scripts” about multiculturalism and secularism.
• ‘Frank, Open Discussions […] Tempered by Reason and Civility’: Repertoires of Self-Abstraction: This likely discusses the expectations for public dialogue, particularly in Quebec, and how reasoned and civil discussions are framed.
• On ‘Gobbledygook’: Dialogue in Receptions: Likely addresses critiques of public dialogue as being overly verbose or ineffectual—referred to as “gobbledygook.”
• Open Secularism and Public Dialogue: Explores the role of secularism in public discourse and the tensions between maintaining secular ideals while accommodating diverse religious beliefs.
• Conclusions: Expanding Repertoires: Summarizes the need to expand the ways in which we understand and perform secularism in the public sphere.
• References: Cited works supporting the discussion.

Chapter 8: Sacred Values and Secular Evangelism in the Bill Nye-Ken Ham Debate

• Contextualizing Creation Evangelism: Examines the ideological clash between creationism and evolutionism, particularly focusing on the Bill Nye-Ken Ham debate on creationism vs. evolution.
• The Science Guy: Likely a reference to Bill Nye and his role in promoting science over religious beliefs.
• Debating Debates: This section probably analyzes how debates like the Nye-Ham one become spectacles of both religious and scientific ideologies, exploring how they function in the secular public sphere.
• Sacred Spheres of Argument: Discusses how debates like this are framed as sacred ideological battles, with each side defending fundamental worldviews.
• The Debate: A close analysis of the specific Nye-Ham debate and its public impact.
• Conclusion: Cultural Cognitions and Ocular Democracy: Explores how debates like this shape cultural cognition and public discourse, particularly through visual media (“ocular democracy”).
• References: Cited works supporting the chapter’s discussion.

Chapter 9: Making the Sacred Public: Women, Performance, and Protest in Contemporary Manipur

• Introduction: This chapter likely introduces the context of Manipur, a region in India, where women have used performance and public protest as a form of political and religious expression.
• The ‘City’ Space: The Site of Performance: Examines the urban space as a stage for protest and performance, highlighting how public spaces become sites of political struggle.
• An Event and Its ‘Origins’: Looks at specific events in Manipur where women’s performances and protests have taken place.
• Women Walking the ‘City’: Likely addresses the symbolic act of women walking through public spaces as a form of resistance and performance.
• Public Mourning as Politics: Explores how mourning and public grieving can be political acts, especially in contexts of social injustice or political conflict.
• References: Cited works about protest and women’s performances in Manipur.

Chapter 10: Ever, Again: Psychoanalysis, Secular Time, and the Performance of Witness

• This chapter seems to bring in psychoanalytic theory to explore how secular time and memory intersect with the act of bearing witness—especially in the context of traumatic events.
• References: Cited works supporting psychoanalytic theory and its relationship to secular time and witness performance.