On Agamben, Donatism, Pelagianism, and the Missing Links

Peter Iver Kaufman shows that, although Giorgio Agamben represents Augustine as an admired pioneer of an alternative form of life, he also considers Augustine an obstacle keeping readers from discovering their potential. Kaufman develops a compelling, radical alternative to progressive politics by continuing the line of thought he introduced in On Agamben, Arendt, Christianity, and the Dark Arts of Civilization. Kaufman starts with a comparison of Agamben and Augustines projects, both of which challenge reigning concepts of citizenship. He argues that Agamben, troubled by Augustines opposition to Donatists and Pelagians, failed to forge links between his own redefinitions of authenticity and the coming community and the bishops understandings of grace, community, and compassion. On Agamben, Donatism, Pelagianism, and the Missing Links sheds new light on Augustines political theology, introducing ways it can be used as a resource for alternative polities while supplementing Agambens scholarship and scholarship on Agamben.