Pragmatism, Messianism, and Political Theology after Ted Smith’s Weird John Brown

Abstract

ABSTRACTHow do we imagine our political lives, practices, and communities otherwise? This sort of question preoccupies folks who like to come together at the intersection of racial justice, religion, and philosophical thought. At one point in time, pragmatism would have been resoundingly spoken in these settings. Now, political theology is a language that is finding fresh expression among critics with these concerns. Is there a way for pragmatists to rejoin these conversations and engage productively with political theology? This paper examines the way pragmatist Eddie Glaude is ineluctably drawn to the language of messianism, and more fully, the way in which Ted Smith’s account of messianism and divine violence in Weird John Brown can be rendered in pragmatic terms. Particular focus is paid to the way political theology and pragmatism function in Smith and the author’s own reading to help confront whiteness and anti-black racism.