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As lead editor and contributor, Dr. Kabala brought together nationally and internationally recognized scholars in political theory, ethics, religion, and legal studies, many of whom drew on experience in public life to integrate practical insights into their contributions. The volume addresses our global crisis by turning to Augustine, a master at integrating disciplines, philosophies, and human experiences in times of upheaval. It covers themes of selfhood, church and state, education, liberalism, realism, and 20th-century thinkers. The contributors enhance our understanding of Augustine’s thought by heightening awareness of his relevance to diverse political, ethical, and sociological questions. Bringing together Augustine and Gallicanism, civil religion, and Martin Luther King, Jr., this volume expands the boundaries of Augustine's scholarship through a consideration of subjects at the heart of contemporary political theory. Published on 2 March 2021, the book is available from the Publisher and booksellers. It's Table of Contents and some parts can be viewed via the Look Inside option on Amazon and Palgrave.

Augustine in a Time of Crisis: Politics and Religion Contested $149.99

Augustine in a Time of Crisis: Politics and Religion Contested €124,79

Editors: Boleslaw Z. Kabala, Ashleen Menchaca-Bagnulo, Nathan Pinkoski
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1st ed. 2021 edition (March 2, 2021)
Hardcover: 470 pages; ISBN: 978-3-030-61484-3
eBook: ISBN: 978-3-030-61485-0; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61485-0

CURRENT BOOK PROJECT:

Augustine: Frontiers of Pluralism

As in the previous volume, Dr. Kabala, the lead editor and contributor, brought together nationally and internationally recognized scholars in political theory, ethics, religion, and legal studies, many of whom drew on experience in public life to integrate practical insights into their contributions. The 22 contributors--including Mary Keys, Charles Mathewes, Emily Dumler-Winckler, Vincent Lloyd, Matt Elia, and Sean Hannan--look for inspiration to Augustine in addressing the problems of the increasingly polarized world.

The book is under contract with Routledge, Oxfordshire, UK. The deadline to submit the chapters is 31 August 2024. The optimistic publication date is January-March 2025.

Image Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org Saint Augustine of Hippo with a boy who tries to empty the sea into a hole on the beach. Colored engraving by F. Huberti. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license and can be shared with attribution--see at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Augustine_of_Hippo_with_a_boy_who_tries_to_empty_the_s_Wellcome_V0048892.jpg.

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Kabala, B. Z., 2016. Hobbes, The New Secular Clerisy, and Spinoza’s Concern, Dissertation, pp. 395. Yale University, Department of Political Science, New Haven, CT, May, 2016

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CURRENT BOOK PROJECT:

Millennial Visions: Hobbes, Spinoza, and the Return of Theological Politics

Hobbes and Spinoza are Enlightenment political thinkers read together since the 17th century. Yet the significance of their dialogue continues to be debated—with interpreters emphasizing power, natural right, and institutional design. For the first time, Millennial Visions examines Hobbes and Spinoza's exchange through the lens of theological politics. In so doing, it shows their direct relevance to questions of politics and religion, reason in the public sphere, and secularization, all of which continue to challenge political theorists. This study makes use of the full range of primary texts by both thinkers, including letters, and situates them in a mid-17th century context flush with scientific discovery but rife with the millennial claims of revolutionaries who sought to hasten the end of time. Concretely, this analysis links the institutional and normative innovations Spinoza makes relative to Hobbes, such as the beginnings of separation of church and state, the separation of powers, and a standard of public reason, to a specific concern the Dutch philosopher had about the English thinker's civil sovereign in Leviathan. Namely: that government would become a prize for the spiritually ambitious, and in particular those whose aim was to use the machinery of government to accelerate the coming of a golden age. As this study shows, inscribed in these institutions is the memory of a political possibility that early modern rationalist philosophers sought to avoid.

Through this interpretation, consistent with some contemporary secularization narratives but not others, Millennial Visions highlights historical and conceptual resources in the thought of Hobbes and Spinoza to clarify current institutional choices and normative commitments, at a time when theological politics seems to have returned.