Lonergan in the Post-Colony

In the four essays of this special issue of Religious Studies and Theology, readers will encounter both meanings of “Lonergan and” described by Crowe. On the one hand, all four of us have identified a scholarly dialogue partner for Lonergan and offered at least some comparative judgements. These include novelist and literary critic Toni Morrison (1931–2019), decolonial theorist Sylvia Wynter (1928–), feminist philosopher Judith Butler (1956–) and legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw (1959–). On the other hand, in accord with Crowe’s second meaning, each of us have attempted an “intelligent mediation” of some aspect of Lonergan’s thought to an issue of vital contemporary concern, such as legacies of racialized oppression in literature and moral ethics, colonial constructions of religion, and contested questions of intersectional identity. Finally, we have done this by striving, to the best of our abilities, to become fluent in the thought of our interlocutors, so that our collective understanding of each and all may emerge more engaged, more intelligent and hopefully more fully human.