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Donovan O. Schaefer

Donovan O. Schaefer is assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, which he joined in 2017 after three years as a lecturer at the University of Oxford. His first book, Religious Affects: Animality, Evolution, and Power (Duke University Press, 2015) considered the relevance of affect theory for questions of religion, politics, and subjectivity.

Essays

The Face of the Sovereign

Why does Trump’s face matter? Why does Trump—a world-class performer and master of the craft of showmanship—practice shaping his face? What does his face do? Is Trump’s face part of his power?

Cultural Christianity’s Secular Cathedral

Macron’s speech in Notre Dame on the occasion of its reopening was a transgression of the principles of French laïcité, confirming the worldwide tendencies towards the increasing culturalization of Christianity and the constant relegation of Islam to the realm of religion.