Convulsing Bodies: Religion and Resistance in Foucault

Mark D. Jordan examines Michel Foucault's complex relationship with religion and religious thought throughout his work and life. The analysis focuses on Foucault's writings about Christianity, mysticism, and spiritual practices from his early career through his final lectures. The book traces how Foucault engaged with religious themes including confession, asceticism, and spiritual exercises while developing his theories of power, sexuality, and resistance. Jordan draws from published texts, lectures, and archival materials to reconstruct Foucault's evolving perspective on religious practices and institutions. These investigations reveal points of intersection between Foucault's political philosophy and his understanding of religious experience, particularly around themes of embodiment and transformation. Jordan demonstrates how Foucault's work continues to influence contemporary discussions about the body, power, and possibilities for resistance in both religious and secular contexts. The book offers new insights into how religious and philosophical traditions can inform critical theory and radical politics, while questioning standard interpretations of Foucault's views on religion and spirituality. At its core, this work explores the ongoing relevance of religious thought to modern philosophical and political questions.

Readers describe this book as dense and theoretically complex, requiring prior knowledge of Foucault's work. Religious studies scholars and Foucault researchers find value in Jordan's analysis of religious themes and bodily experiences in Foucault's writings. What readers liked: - Deep examination of religion's role in Foucault's thought - Connections between mysticism and resistance - Engagement with queer theory and embodiment What readers disliked: - High level of academic jargon - Assumes familiarity with Foucault - Structure can be hard to follow Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (10 ratings) Amazon: No ratings available Notable review quotes: "Requires concentration but rewards careful reading" - Goodreads reviewer "Important contribution to Foucault studies but not for beginners" - Academia.edu review The limited number of public reviews suggests this book primarily reaches an academic audience rather than general readers.

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Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison by Michel Foucault A study of power dynamics and social control through institutions connects to themes of bodily resistance and religious authority.

The Body and Society by Bryan S. Turner This examination of social theory and embodiment explores the intersection of religion, power structures, and physical existence.

Religious Experience Reconsidered by Ann Taves A methodological framework for studying religious experience incorporates perspectives from cognitive science, anthropology, and power dynamics in institutional structures.

🔹 Author Mark D. Jordan holds the Richard Reinhold Niebuhr Research Professor of Divinity position at Harvard Divinity School, bringing decades of expertise in religious ethics and sexuality studies to this analysis. 🔹 The book explores how Foucault's work on sexuality and power was deeply influenced by Christian practices, particularly confession and asceticism, despite his criticism of organized religion. 🔹 "Convulsing Bodies" draws its provocative title from Foucault's fascination with religious ecstasy and physical manifestations of spiritual experience, particularly in medieval Christian mysticism. 🔹 The text examines previously unexplored connections between Foucault's personal spiritual journey and his academic work, including his lesser-known writings about religious experience. 🔹 While teaching at the University of California at Berkeley in the early 1980s, Foucault regularly visited San Francisco's S&M scene, which influenced his theoretical work on power, pleasure, and resistance - a context this book helps illuminate.