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People often think about spirituality as something individual and personal. And it certainly is! But we are not simply individuals – we are members of a society that shapes our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
This courseintroduces students to a range of concepts from political philosophy, thesocial sciences, and critical theory that help explain how we are shaped by ourplace in society, and explores their meaning for our spiritual lives andexperience.
Week 1
God, society and politics
This week starts off the course by reflecting on what we mean by “society”. It introduces students to the concept of “the social” itself; a product of Catholic attempts to find a place for God in politics in the face of the French Revolution.
Week 2
Structures and sin
In this session, we will discuss the difference between the individual and the structural, situating the idea of social structures in their original economic context. We will then explore how liberation theologians and later the Magisterium came to draw from this idea to think about sin. 3 or 4sentences outlined the content for the week
Week 3
Power and freedom
In this session, we will consider the French philosopher, Michel Foucault’s idea of power as a force that produces human thought and agency. We will compare it to St Augustine of Hippo’s concept of sin, and ask what it means to have freedom in light of it.
Week 4
Ideologies and institutions
“Ideology” is often bandied about as a slur for beliefs we disagree with. But it is also a meaningful concept in sociology and political theory that can be helpful for understanding how society teaches us to think. We will look at the Marxist philosopher, Louis Althusser’s theory of ideology, and discuss how our institutional context shapes us as people.
Week 5
Gender and spiritual practice
Gender is something of a scare word in Catholicism these days – especially when paired with the name of the American feminist philosopher, Judith Butler. This session considers their theory of gender as “performativity”, as outlined in their first major work, Gender Trouble (1990). We will use this to think about how gender is produced and reproduced in our spiritual practices.
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Reading List
Dr Nicolete Burbach is the Social and Environmental Justice Lead at the London Jesuit Centre. Her PhD thesis looked at Pope Francis’ hermeneutics of uncertainty, and her research focuses on resourcing Pope Francis to think through issues of alienation and disagreement, with a particular focus on navigating the difficulties around trans inclusion in the Church. Previously, she has taught modules on postmodern theology and Catholic Social Teaching, both at Durham University.
