This Author Meets Critique (AMC) session engages Joerg Rieger's book Theology in the Capitalocene—Theologie im Kapitalozän, which will be available in German adaptation in the Spring of 2026 (Charlotte Jacobs, trans., Theologische Interventionen, Kohlhammer Verlag). Several chapters of this book are adapted from the English original and revised for European contexts, with some new chapters added. The book (English subtitle: Ecology, Identity, Class, and Solidarity) argues that the study of theology and religion needs to engage the signs of the times both critically and constructively, proposing that the neologism "Capitalocene" describes our geological age more appropriately than the more common notion of the "Anthropocene." If we find ourselves in times when the flow of capital determines not only economics and politics but also religion and the future of the planet, theologians and scholars of religion may be able to contribute not only by deepening an understanding of the resulting problems but also by identifying potential solutions. As many people find it easier to envision the end of the world than the end of capitalism, theologians and scholars of religion face a formidable task. This panel brings together scholars, intellectuals, and activists who have engaged earlier versions of Rieger's work. Their presentations will touch on the theme of this year's European Academy of Religion, "Religions and (Inequalities)," and include reflections on deeper causes, implications, and possible responses to the emergent problems of our time.

Theology, Politics, Religious Studies