‘Mystic Atheism’ : Julia Kristeva's Negative Theology

Bradley, Arthur (2008) ‘Mystic Atheism’ : Julia Kristeva's Negative Theology. Theology and Sexuality, 14 (3). pp. 279-292. ISSN 1355-8358

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Abstract

This article examines Julia Kristeva's paradoxical concept of a ‘mystic atheism’. It falls into three parts. First, it briefly surveys Kristeva's psychoanalytic account of Christian theology in Au commencement était l'amour (1985). Secondly, it assesses Kristeva's analysis of the Christian mystical tradition from Teresa of Avila to Angela of Foligno in such works as Le féminin et le sacré (1999) and the three volumes on Le génie féminin (1999-2002). For Kristeva, Christian mysticism represents a key moment in the transition from theology to psychoanalysis: what she locates within the work of the female mystics is a so-called ‘mystic atheism’, that is to say, an affirmation of an other within the subject as opposed to the divine other that supposedly lies outside it. Finally, the article offers some critical comments upon Kristeva's own ‘mystic atheism’: I argue that—like much negative theology—Kristeva's psychoanalysis remains ontotheological in form and that this dimension expresses itself in a problematic tendency to anthropomorphize the other within. In conclusion, I will suggest that Kristeva's ‘mystic atheism’ ultimately remains within the theological tradition it seeks to call into question.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Theology and Sexuality
Additional Information:
Publisher Copyright: © 2008, © 2008 Taylor & Francis.
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3318
Subjects:
?? atheismkristevamysticismnegative theologypsychoanalysisgender studiesreligious studies ??
ID Code:
182425
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
05 Jan 2023 09:15
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 23:24