Laughter and the Kingdom: Thinking Critically With and Beyond Ivan Illich

Dr. Oliver Dürr; Dr. Luca Baschera

doi:10.5771/9783495987490

Summary

For the 100th anniversary of Ivan Illich's birth, this book gathers contributions from renowned Illich scholars and young researchers across diverse fields to engage critically and constructively with his work. Given the breadth of Illich's interests, this book explores themes from medicine and political philosophy to ecclesiology, ecology, education, natural sciences, technology, and literature. It is a diverse set of perspectives that do not all agree with one another. Rather, in their diversity and tensions, they embody something of Illich's spirit, which continues to make him a fertile source of inspiration.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2026
Copyright Year: 2026
ISBN-Print: 978-3-495-98748-3
ISBN-Online: 978-3-495-98749-0
Publisher: Karl Alber, Baden-Baden
Language: English
Pages: 241
Product Type: Edited Book

Preface No access Pages 1 - 8
Faith Is Much Like Getting a Joke. An Introduction No access Pages 9 - 12
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1. Setting sail: An Irish Cardinal for the Puerto Ricans No access
2. Interlude: Ponce and the CIF No access
3. De-Yankifikation No access
4. Sergio Méndez Arceo (1907–1992): patron of the CIDOC No access
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1. Greek heritage and Christian theology No access
2. Neither right nor left, so where? No access
3. French diversions No access
4. Illich’s friends No access
5. Special friendships No access
Che cos’è la vicinanza? / What is Neighbourhood? No access Pages 55 - 64
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1. Introduction: The living Body of Christ in Today’s Context No access
2. Cavanaugh’s Political Theology of the Eucharist: Opposition to Modernity’s Liberal Political Outset in the Name of the Body of Christ No access
3. Illich’s Powerless Church and the Mystical Kingdom No access
4. The Liturgical-Performative Presence of the Kingdom and its Powerless Power No access
5. Conclusion: Widening our Understanding of both Liturgy and Social Practice No access
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1. We Are Living in an Apocalyptic Age No access
2. Understanding the Apocalyptic Stage of Our World with René Girard and Ivan Illich No access
3. The Apocalyptic Stage of Our World Needs Fear and Hope No access
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1. Technocracy No access
2. Conviviality No access
3. Conclusion No access
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1. Introduction No access
2. Declaring an emergency No access
3. The collapse of separated powers No access
4. Administrative agencies and citizens No access
5. Professional Associations and clients No access
6. Employers and Employees No access
7. Is tyrannical Management normal? No access
Eutrapelia in Lockdown No access Pages 123 - 126
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1. “Ivan would have loved this!” No access
2. Anarchism and Illichian thought No access
3. In the Mirror of the Latin-American Past No access
4. The pandemic under the Military Party No access
5. Non-concluding remarks No access
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1. Introduction No access
2. The Reign of Technology No access
3. The “Pursuit of Health” Leads to an Increasingly Monitored and Controlled Society No access
4. The “Pursuit of Health” Is Hostile Towards Death No access
5. The “Pursuit of Health” Destroys Our Self-Perception No access
6. Conclusion: A Way Out of the “Scheduled, Technological Hell”? No access
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1. Preamble No access
2. The End of Sustainability No access
3. Peaceful Ways of Living No access
4. Conclusions and Provocations No access
The Quest for Past Somatics No access Pages 177 - 192
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1. Introduction No access
2. A Generation Incompetent to Live No access
3. De-schooling Society No access
4. Migrations of the Holy No access
5. Conclusion No access
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1. Introduction No access
2. Promethean Imaginaries No access
3. An Epimethean Perspective on Technology No access
4. Conclusion No access
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1. Introduction No access
2. Gaining Perspective: Illich’s conversation with Hugh of St. Victor No access
3. Illich as media ecologist No access
4. Hugh’s philosophy of technology No access
5. “Sacred reading” as a transformational technique No access
6. Spiritual practice and “critical technology” No access
About the authors No access Pages 239 - 240