Asad and Benjamin: Chronopolitics of tragedy in the anthropology of secularism

Abstract

Divergent theories of tragedy in the anthropology of secularism have been articulated with reference to the work of Talal Asad, yet he himself disavows a tragic sensibility. In seeking to understand this disjuncture, I sketch out political and analytical consequences of invoking tragedy when approaching Muslims in Europe and colonial-era shifts in Islamic law. I then align Asad’s demurral of tragedy with Walter Benjamin’s differentiation between classical tragedy and baroque drama. Benjamin demonstrates how anthropology could register (without affirming) secularism’s promise of disenchantment. Rather than tragedy, whose catharsis remains available for conscription by secular power, Asad’s critical project is animated by a methodological antihistoricism.

Reconstruction of the History of Hamzah Fansuri’s Life and Recognition of His Works

“…Secularization is an effort that, instead of bringing benefits as originally assumed by its proponents, has manifested itself as a tragedy in the current era (Iqbal 2020). The serious problem brought by this effort lies mainly in its philosophical dimension that touches the field of modern science (Attas 1993).…”