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This groundbreaking work presents the first sustained discussion of the connections between two quintessentially American traditions: liberation theology and pragmatism. It explores the dynamic relationship between the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of faith practice, with a focus on the liberating potential of religious ritual.
List of contents
- Ch 1. Introduction - "American" Faith in a New Key
- Ch 2. Viernes Santo: Where the Shock of the Immediate Meets New Life
- Ch 3. 'Liberation' in the Latino/a Americas: Retrospect and Prospect
- Ch 4. Pragmatism and Latino/a Religious Experience
- Ch 5. Integrating Experience and Epistemology: Ivone Gebara's Pragmatic Ecofeminism
- Ch 6. The Social Dimensions of Faith: Expanding John Dewey's Sense of Community
- Ch 7. Embodied Faith-in-Action: Religious Ritual as Reconstructive Education
- Ch 8. Conclusion - Transforming Faith
- Bibliography
- Index
About the author
Christopher D. Tirres is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at DePaul University. A native of El Paso, TX, he is a member of the American Academy of Religion; the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy; the Society for Ethnicity, Race, and Religion; and the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States. Tirres holds degrees from Princeton University, Harvard Divinity School, and Harvard University.
Summary
What is the future of liberation thought in the Americas? In this groundbreaking work, Christopher D. Tirres takes up this question by looking at the methodological connections between two quintessentially American traditions: liberation theology and pragmatism. He explains how pragmatism lends philosophical clarity and depth to some of liberation theology's core ideas and assumptions. Liberation theology in turn offers pragmatism a more nuanced and sympathetic approach to religious faith, especially its social and pedagogical dimensions. Ultimately, Tirres crafts a philosophical foundation that ensures the continued relevance of liberation thought in today's world.
Keeping true to the method of pragmatism, The Aesthetics and Ethics of Faith begins inductively with a set of actual experiences: the Good Friday liturgies at the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas. The book provides a compelling description of the way these performative rituals integrate the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of faith.
Subsequent chapters probe this integration deductively at three levels of theoretical analysis: experience/metaphysics, sociality, and pedagogy. As Tirres shows, the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of faith emerge in different yet related ways at all three levels. Tirres argues that utilizing the categories of the aesthetic and ethical enables a richer understanding of the dynamic relationship between faith and politics.
This book builds new bridges between a number of discourses and key figures, and will appeal to students and scholars who are interested in the liberatory potential of engaged faith praxis, especially when it is expressed in the form of religious ritual.
Additional text
The reader will encounter in this book an insightful and highly intersting dialogue between such diverse thinkers such as John Dewey, Paulo Freire, Roberto Goizueta, and Ivone Gebara.
