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On 17 January, Lee Medovoi will present his new book . In this book, Medovoi offers a new perspective on race, shifting the focus from physical traits to the idea of certain groups being perceived as a potential societal threat.

Body and soul

Medovoi traces racism’s roots to theological distinctions between body and soul, where visible traits mark bodies, but the ‘soul’ implies hidden, dangerous intentions. This view began with medieval inquisitions targeting heretics and evolved in early modern Spain to label Jewish and Muslim converts as threats. Medovoi connects this concept to anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and other racial ideologies, showing how it underpins racialised capitalism and modern governance.

During this Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies book presentation, Margreet van Es and Arash Ghajarjazi will act as respondents. Pooyan Tamimi Arab (p.tamimiarab@uu.nl) is allowed to share the pdf of the book. Anyone who is interested in reading the book in advance of the event can send him an email.

Lee Medovoi

Lee Medovoi, Professor of English at the ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of Arizona, is a founding chair of its Graduate Program in Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory. His works include Rebels: Youth and the Cold War Origins of Identity (2005) and the upcoming The Inner Life of Race (2024). Medovoi researches biopolitical theory, critical race and religious studies, Marxist critical theory, and the environmental humanities. He has led major Mellon-funded projects on neoliberalism and political belonging.