What grounds authority? The notion of authority – whether it be epistemological, scientific, political, religious, or divine – is in some ways linked to questions of power, specifically, the power to author and to authorize. But on what basis do we give this power credit? Authoritative projects have power based upon their capacities to move people without moving, to act upon the individual without acting. How then could we locate and examine this force? What is it that moves us? In this seminar, we build upon classic texts in anthropology on mana, fetish, and political theology to explore how our submission to the authoritative voice takes place at a level beyond reason.

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