Routledge - Exit capitalism, Literary culture, theory, and post-secular modernity, 2010.pdf

Exit Capitalism
Exit Capitalism explores a new path for cultural studies and re-examines key
moments of British cultural and literary history. Simon During argues that
the long and liberating journey towards democratic state capitalism has led
to an unhappy dead end from which there is no imaginable exit.
In this context, what do the humanities look like? What’s alive and what’s
dead in the culture and its heritage?
It es clear that the contemporary world order remains imperfect not
just because it is unjust but because it cannot meet ethical standards pro-
duced in a past that still knew genuine hope. Simon During emphasizes the
need to rethink the position of Christianity and religion in the past and, at a
more concrete level, also analyzes how the decline of the socialist ideal and
the emergence of endgame capitalism helped to produce both modern theory
and cultural studies as academic fields.
Simon During teaches in the English Department at Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity, Baltimore MD. He is also a Professorial Fellow of the School of
Culture munications at the University of Melbourne. His most
recent books are Modern Enchantments: The Cultural Power of Secular Magic
(2002) and Cultural Studies: A Critical Introduction (2005). He is also the
editor of the three editions of the Cultural Studies Reader.
Exit Capitalism
Literary culture, theory, and
post-secular modernity
Simon During
First published 2010
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon. OX14 4RN
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This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
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© 2010 Simon During
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