Prophetic political theology

Daniel Bensaïd's alternative radicalism

Authors

• Jayne Svenungsson Lund University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6022-1006

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30752/nj.156756

Keywords:

Daniel Bensaïd, prophecy, political theology, Carl Schmitt

Abstract

This article probes the writings of the Jewish Trotskyist thinker Daniel Bensaïd (1946–2010) in light of recent debates on political theology. In contrast to what is sometimes explicitly referred to as ‘apocalyptic political theology’, it makes a case for what may be described as a ‘prophetic political theology’. Yet it is not obvious to claim Bensaïd as a proponent for such a project, since he explicitly denounced the meddling of theology in political thinking. The article therefore starts out by explaining the sense in which Bensaïd was committed to the profane nature of politics. Secondly, it suggests that Bensaïd’s ‘profane politics’ could nonetheless be framed as a political theology. Despite his rejection of theology, Bensaïd simultaneously drew on a certain strand of Jewish prophetic thinking in his continuing revision and refinement of his original Trotskyist position. Having explored Bensaïd’s radical thinking as a prophetic political theology, the article concludes by indicating why and how it offers a productive way of responding to the challenges of our time.