The Disappearance of Rituals
A Topology of the Present
Byung-Chul Han author Daniel Steuer translator
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Polity Press
Published:4th Sep '20
Should be back in stock very soon
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£12.99(9781509542765)
In The Disappearance of Rituals, the author examines the erosion of community in contemporary society, highlighting the impact of neoliberalism on identity and connection.
In The Disappearance of Rituals, the author explores the profound impact of neoliberalism on modern community structures. The relentless drive for production has led to a crisis characterized by a growing narcissism and a troubling inward focus among individuals. This analysis reveals how contemporary society has become increasingly atomized, with people drifting apart in a world that once thrived on shared rituals and collective identities. The loss of these symbolic structures has resulted in a reliance on superficial markers of identity, leaving individuals vulnerable and disoriented.
The author avoids idealizing the past, instead offering a critical examination of how rituals have faded from our lives. By tracing the genealogy of their disappearance, The Disappearance of Rituals sheds light on the pathologies that plague our current social landscape. The book contrasts a community defined by silent recognition and deep connections with today's environment, where communication lacks true meaning and collective emotions are stifled. This shift has rendered individuals susceptible to the manipulations of neoliberal ideologies, stripping away the essence of what it means to belong.
Ultimately, this work argues for the necessity of reinvigorating community through the shared experience of rituals. The author posits that it is through mutual recognition and the symbolic exchange between community members that we can reclaim our sense of time and identity. This thought-provoking book is sure to resonate with a diverse audience seeking to understand the complexities of modern existence.
"Byung-Chul Han's new book challenges the reader to go far beyond the worn-out critique of neoliberalism. On the one side, there is the progressive replacement of substance through communication, painted as a road to existential perdition; it contrasts, on the other side, with the utopian view of a return towards the security of rituals in their form and appearance. This reversal of long-established thought is expressed in a compressed and energetic language that reads like a manifesto."
Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford University
"The kind of book … that leads one to rethink our standard narratives of history and to see our society and era in a fresh light."
Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Ed
"an essential philosopher for anyone wanting to diagnose what plagues the modern person"
The Gospel Coalition
"This book is a powerful reminder of the purpose and potential of ritual actions, and what role the arts can serve in our alienated and desacralized times."
Yuval Sharon, The New Yorker
“In a culture obsessed with progress, disruption, and innovation, Han’s conservative defense of ritual feels both radical and necessary. For anyone concerned with the spiritual and social dimensions of modern life, Byung-Chul Han’s The Disappearance of Rituals is worth reading.”
Jeremy Bassetti
“Han is a joy to read. His writing isn’t quite aphoristic, but it has an Hemingway-esque sinewy strength to it. His pronouncements hit you at a gut level."
Law & Liberty
“Han’s criticism is welcome, pertinent, and current”
The European Conservative
“makes useful and necessary philosophical distinctions that allow the reader to further contemplate man’s place in a chaotic world and possibly change not only the way we perceive the world but also to encourage creation rather than destruction.”
American Essence
ISBN: 9781509542758
Dimensions: 216mm x 145mm x 13mm
Weight: 272g
186 pages