Rethinking the Political

The Sacred and the Modern State: A New Perspective on Politics and Community. In 1937, a group of French intellectuals came together to form the Collège de Sociologie, a short-lived but influential collective that sought to redefine the role of the sacred in modern society. Drawing on the work of Émile Durkheim, they explored the connections between aesthetics, politics, and community formation. This book offers a fresh perspective on the Collège's ideas and their ongoing relevance today. The author sheds new light on the Collège's complex relationship with totalitarian regimes and its rejection of democratic and communist forms of organization. By examining the work of key thinkers such as Claude Lefort, she reveals how the Collège's insights continue to shape our understanding of community and politics in the modern world. A fascinating study of the twentieth-century's most daring thinkers, this book provides crucial insights into the contradictions at play in modern notions of community. With its unique blend of philosophy, history, and sociology, Rethinking the Political offers a nuanced exploration of the relationships between aesthetics, politics, and the sacred.