“Provocative and arresting, Ratti's book is a work of subtle imagination and searching intellect. It is finely written, scrupulously researched, and persuasively argued.”
—Elleke Boehmer, University of Oxford
“Signals a postsecular turn in postcolonial theory and criticism.”
—Graham Huggan, University of Leeds; writing in Modern Fiction Studies [PDF]
“Most recent writings on the crisis of secularism attempt to fix the dominant idea of secularism and offer versions meant to withstand real-life politics. Manav Ratti, not convinced that a retooled version of secularism will save us, does the groundwork for those forced to enter the postsecular world. This book is a major contribution that cannot be ignored.”
—Ashis Nandy, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
“Written evocatively, The Postsecular Imagination is a search for an imagination beyond the binaries of religion and secularism. This book deserves to be closely read, in text and in spirit.”
—The Hindu [PDF]
“Manav Ratti's The Postsecular Imagination offers a calm, objective, highly readable analysis of questions of faith, pragmatism, and reason, steering clear of both outright rejection and uncritical assertion. Beyond its argument, the prose is elegant and compelling.”
—Manoj Das (1934–2021), Padma Bhushan; Sahitya Akademi Fellow
“The Postsecular Imagination is an important book in a time of need: clear, engaging, and full of insight for navigating a public sphere polarized by cynicism and half-truths. This book deserves a wide readership."
—Neil Wilson, Ottawa International Writers Festival
“The originality of Ratti's book resides in its analysis of literary works as temporal products in which secular tenets impact belief systems, while still recognizing the relevance of the latter. It shares much in common with Talal Asad, Saba Mahmood, and Achille Mbembe. Recommended.”
—Choice [PDF]
“A major intervention, this well-researched and theoretically sophisticated work provides a critical vocabulary for mediating between the secular and the religious. Ratti renews the theoretical bases of postcolonial literary studies, placing it in dialogue with South Asian studies.”
—South Asian Review [PDF]
“A nuanced analysis of how literature rethinks the limits of religion and secularism. Essential reading for those interested in secularism, religion, postsecularism, and postcolonial theory, Ratti’s book is lucid, carefully argued, and rich in insight. It shows how literature opens new horizons in postsecular thought, demonstrating the indeterminacy and creativity at its core.”
—Postcolonial Studies [PDF]
“Manav Ratti’s book is a pioneering monograph that moves with assurance across social and cultural criticism, political theory, and literary analysis to demonstrate how literature becomes a site of postsecular formation. Meticulous in its attention to context and politics and scrupulously researched, it compels a rethinking of values too easily taken for granted.”
—Journal of Postcolonial Writing [PDF]
“Raises the stakes for both scholarly and literary interventions: theoretically nimble and insightful. Nuanced, vibrant, and stylistically elegant, it is grounded in rigorous knowledge of geopolitical realities across India, Europe, Sri Lanka, and beyond. Ratti’s work stands out in the field as an indispensable way forward.”
—Postcolonial Text [PDF]
“A major addition to contemporary scholarship on postsecularism, this is a significant book for those interested in the study of issues related to religion and secularism.”
—Wasafiri [PDF]
“Manav Ratti’s study confronts one of today’s most urgent cultural questions: the embattled relation between secularism and religion, often inflamed by nationalism. Illuminating and sensitive, his readings invite readers to rediscover the works he treats. Notably free of ideological partisanship, the book displays a commanding grasp of contemporary literary and cultural theory.”
—Entangled Religions [PDF]
“By bringing literary texts into dialogue with the recent theoretical work on postsecularism, Ratti offers insightful readings that not only challenge rigid religious, racial, and national categories that dominate our modern world, but provides hope for imagining identities and practices that can circumvent them.”
—Peace Review [PDF]
“The Postsecular Imagination refocuses attention on the need for a theoretical framework adequate to a world riven by conflict between extreme religious and secular positions. Grounded in South Asia, this study will be of interest to scholars working across diverse literary contexts."
—Synergy [PDF]