Arguably the most prolific and most widely read philosopher of our time, Slavoj ¿i¿ek has made indelible interventions into many disciplines of the so-called human sciences that have transformed the terms of discussion in these fields. Although his work has been the subject of many volumes of searching criticism and commentary, there is no assessment to date of the value of his work for the development of these disciplines.
¿i¿ek Now brings together distinguished critics to explore the utility and far-ranging implications of ¿i¿ek's thought and provide an evaluation of the difference his work makes or promises to make in their chosen fields. As such, the volume offers chapters on quantum physics and ¿i¿ek's transcendentalist materialist theory of the subject, Hegel's absolute, materialist Christianity, postcolonial violence, eco-politics, ceremonial acts, and the postcolonial revolutionary subject. Contributors to the volume include Adrian Johnston, Ian Parker, Todd McGowan, Bruno Bosteels, Erik Vogt, Verena Conley, Joshua Ramey, Jamil Khader, and ¿i¿ek himself.

Dr. Jamil Khader, Professor of English and Dean of Research at Bethlehem University, Palestine.

Molly Anne Rothenberg is professor of english at Tulane University.

Acknowledgments vii

Notes on Contributors ix

Part One

Introduction: ?i?ek Now or Never: Ideological Critique and the Nothingness of Being
Jamil Khader 3

1 ?i?ek's Sublime Objects Now
Ian Parker 16

Part Two

2 Hegel as Marxist: ?i?ek's Revision of German Idealism
Todd McGowan 31

3 ?i?ek and Christianity: Or the Critique of Religion after Marx and Freud
Bruno Bosteels 54

4 Ceremonial Contingencies and the Ambiguous Rites of Freedom
Joshua Ramey 84

Part Three

5 A Critique of Natural Economy: Quantum Physics with ?i?ek
Adrian Johnston 103

6 Slavoj ?i?ek's Eco-Chic
Verena Andermatt Conley 121

7 ?i?ek and Fanon: On Violence and Related Matters
Erik Vogt 140

8 ?i?ek's Infi delity: Lenin, the National Question, and the Postcolonial Legacy of Revolutionary Internationalism
Jamil Khader 159

Part Four

9 King, Rabble, Sex, and War in Hegel
Slavoj ?i?ek 177

Index 207