Religion and ideology

disputes in the public sphere from Žižek and decolonial thought

Authors

  • Jungley de Oliveira Torres Neto Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora
  • Daniel Martins Dalpra Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.1982-6605.2025v22n1.73177

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between religion and ideology in the public sphere, drawing from the thoughts of Slavoj Žižek and decolonial thought, based on the contributions of Aníbal Quijano, Walter Mignolo, and Enrique Dussel. The starting point is The Fragile Absolute, in which Žižek analyzes how subjectivity is shaped within ideologies that legitimize the capitalist-absolutist discourse, functioning as an institutional mechanism of domination in which religions are also embedded. The advancement of this research lies in the integration of decolonial thought, which problematizes the persistent effects of the coloniality of power and proposes alternatives to the modern/colonial hegemonic model. In discussing colonial difference, decolonial thought emphasizes the need to consider marginalized epistemologies, criticizes the exclusionary logic of Modernity and suggests an ethical-political horizon that includes subaltern perspectives. The methodology employed is bibliographic, qualitative, and comparative, utilizing the ideas of Žižek and decolonial thinkers. A central hypothesis is that religion(s), intrinsically linked to culture, history, politics, and ideology may represent what Mignolo calls liminal gnosis: a space of (re)existence for subaltern thought, promoting the inclusion of diversity in public spaces.

Keywords

Ideology; Public space; Decolonial Thought; Religion; Slavoj Žižek.

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Author Biographies

Jungley de Oliveira Torres Neto, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

PhD student in Religious Science at the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF). Master (2021) and graduate (2016) in Philosophy from the same institution/UFJF.

Daniel Martins Dalpra, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora

Master's student in Religious Studies at the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF). Specialist in Religious Studies at the same institution. Specialist in Psychoanalysis at Faculdade Dom Alberto. Specialist in Brazilian Anthropology at Centro Universitário Celso Lisboa.

Published

2025-06-03

How to Cite

TORRES NETO, Jungley de Oliveira; DALPRA, Daniel Martins. Religion and ideology: disputes in the public sphere from Žižek and decolonial thought. Religare, [S. l.], v. 22, n. 1, 2025. DOI: 10.22478/ufpb.1982-6605.2025v22n1.73177. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufpb.br/index.php/religare/article/view/73177. Acesso em: 15 aug. 2026.