Deus in Machina

Religion, Technology, and the Things in Between

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Social Aspects, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Religion & Spirituality
Cover of the book Deus in Machina by , Fordham University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780823249824
Publisher: Fordham University Press Publication: November 5, 2012
Imprint: Fordham University Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780823249824
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Publication: November 5, 2012
Imprint: Fordham University Press
Language: English

The essays in this volume explore how two domains of human experience and action—religion and technology—are implicated in each other. Contrary to commonsense understandings of both religion (as an “otherworldly” orientation) and technology (as the name for tools, techniques, and expert knowledges oriented to “this” world), the contributors to this volume challenge the grounds on which this division has been erected in the first place.

What sorts of things come to light when one allows religion and technology to mingle freely? In an effort to answer that question, Deus in Machina embarks upon an interdisciplinary voyage across diverse traditions and contexts where religion and technology meet: from the design of clocks in medieval Christian Europe, to the healing power of prayer in premodern Buddhist Japan, to 19th-century Spiritualist devices for communicating with the dead, to Islamic debates about kidney dialysis in contemporary Egypt, to the work of disability activists using documentary film to reimagine Jewish kinship, to the representation of Haitian Vodou on the Internet, among other case studies.

Combining rich historical and ethnographic detail with extended theoretical reflection, Deus in Machina outlines new directions for the study of religion and/as technology that will resonate across the human sciences, including religious studies, science and technology studies, communication studies, history, anthropology, and philosophy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The essays in this volume explore how two domains of human experience and action—religion and technology—are implicated in each other. Contrary to commonsense understandings of both religion (as an “otherworldly” orientation) and technology (as the name for tools, techniques, and expert knowledges oriented to “this” world), the contributors to this volume challenge the grounds on which this division has been erected in the first place.

What sorts of things come to light when one allows religion and technology to mingle freely? In an effort to answer that question, Deus in Machina embarks upon an interdisciplinary voyage across diverse traditions and contexts where religion and technology meet: from the design of clocks in medieval Christian Europe, to the healing power of prayer in premodern Buddhist Japan, to 19th-century Spiritualist devices for communicating with the dead, to Islamic debates about kidney dialysis in contemporary Egypt, to the work of disability activists using documentary film to reimagine Jewish kinship, to the representation of Haitian Vodou on the Internet, among other case studies.

Combining rich historical and ethnographic detail with extended theoretical reflection, Deus in Machina outlines new directions for the study of religion and/as technology that will resonate across the human sciences, including religious studies, science and technology studies, communication studies, history, anthropology, and philosophy.

More books from Fordham University Press

Cover of the book Receptive Spirit by
Cover of the book The Sons of Molly Maguire by
Cover of the book Giorgio Agamben by
Cover of the book Foucault's Critical Ethics by
Cover of the book Derrida after the End of Writing by
Cover of the book A Weak Messianic Power by
Cover of the book Orthodox Christianity and Nationalism in Nineteenth-Century Southeastern Europe by
Cover of the book Resistance of the Sensible World by
Cover of the book The Rebellious No by
Cover of the book The Fall of Sleep by
Cover of the book Intercarnations by
Cover of the book On the Nature of Marx's Things by
Cover of the book Still the Same Hawk by
Cover of the book The Pleasure in Drawing by
Cover of the book Listening by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy