Emerging geographies of evil? Theo-ethics and postsecular possibilities

Abstract

This paper suggests that the vocabulary and meaningfulness of ‘evil’ can be re-articulated, and to some extent redeemed from the extremes of fundamentalism and relativism. It uses intellectual resources from Nigel Wright, Walter Wink and Rene Girard to reconstruct some foundations for a reworking of evil in human geography. It then presents an account of the reappearance of evil ‘after postmodernism’ in event, narrative and praxis, arguing that working through and acting against evil reveals its present nature in terms that defy the excesses of right–wing religious fundamentalism and the bland tolerance that can stem from an over-reliance on relativistic thinking. The paper considers how geographies of postsecular practice in areas such as homelessness emerge in response to discernment both of the spiritual interiorities and the exteriorities of landscapes of power, and of the ability of human action to influence these landscapes.