Secularism and its Ambiguities: Four Case Studies

Carlo Ginzburg dissects four moments of European intellectual history, exploring the ambiguity between secularism and religions. He re-edits and completes the leporello of cases, including La Boétie's Servitude volontaire, Walter Benjamin's defense of the profanity of reproducing the arts, and the College de Sociologie's attempt to analyze fascism's ideological components. The fourth lecture approaches fake news from a long-term perspective, questioning how some disturbing features of the world we live in are the result of a long, tortuous, unpredictable trajectory.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 146 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Central European University Press

Carlo Ginzburg, a renowned scholar in the field of microhistory, delves into four pivotal moments of European intellectual history in his captivating book. This work serves as a reliving of the remarkable experience that participants in the Natalie Zemon Davis Lecture Series at the Budapest campus of Central European University had in 2019, as they listened to Ginzburg's profound and captivating discourses. Ginzburg has meticulously re-edited and completed the leporello of cases that explore the inherent complexities between secularism and religions.

While secularism is commonly associated with a rejection or distancing from the sacred, it is essential to recognize that secularism can also incorporate and reinterpret the sacred. This brings forth a dilemma, particularly when examining the reception of La Boétie's Servitude volontaire between 1574 and the present day. Before the renowned Walter Benjamin, the lesser-known 19th-century Léon de Laborde defended the profanity of reproducing the arts. The tension surrounding secularism permeates the case of the College de Sociologie (Paris, 1937-1939), an attempt to analyze the ideological underpinnings of fascism.

In the fourth lecture, Ginzburg takes a long-term perspective to examine a much-discussed contemporary phenomenon: fake news. He explores the extent to which some unsettling aspects of the world we inhabit can be attributed to a protracted, convoluted, and unpredictable trajectory. Through his insightful analysis, Ginzburg offers a thought-provoking exploration of the interplay between history, ideology, and contemporary realities, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the complex tapestry of European intellectual history.

Weight: 170g
Dimension: 128 x 198 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789633866412