"A Transatlantic Political Theology of Psychedelic Aesthetics is a timely book that seeks to shed light not only on the 1960s, but also the political machinations of today. ... The book, however, really comes alive with the literary analyses, which are original and insightful, and no doubt an important contribution to the field." (Robert Dickins, Psychedelic Book Reviews, February 10, 2020)
Chapter One: Liberal Subjectivity, Religion, And The State
Chapter Two: Psychedelic Aesthetics, Political Theology, And Religion
Chapter Three: European Influences
Chapter Four: The Return To ‘Nature’ And The Problem Of The Perennial
Chapter Five: Theorizing The Psychedelic Experience
Chapter Six: Psychedelic Citizenship And Re-Enchantment: Affective Aesthetics As Political Instantiation
Chapter Seven: Aldous Huxley The Political Theologian
Chapter Eight: Conclusion: Re-Enchantment And Psychedelic Aesthetics
Roger Green is a lecturer in the Department of English at Metropolitan State University of Denver, USA, where he teaches English and Songwriting. He is also a working musical artist, combining literary and aesthetic ideas in sound.
Arguing that we ought to look to psychedelic aesthetics of the 1960s in relation to current crises in liberal democracy, this book emphasizes the intersection of European thought and the psychedelic. The first half of the book focuses on philosophical influences of Herbert Marcuse and Antonin Artaud, while the second half shifts toward literary and theoretical influences of Aldous Huxley on psychedelic aesthetics. Framed within an emergent discourse of political theology, it suggests that taking a postsecular approach to psychedelic aesthetics helps us understand deeper connections between aesthetics and politics.