The Disappearance of Rituals

“Byung-Chul Han’s new book challenges the reader to go far beyond the worn-out critique of neoliberalism. On the one side, there is the progressive replacement of substance through communication, painted as a road to existential perdition; it contrasts, on the other side, with the utopian view of a return towards the security of rituals in their form and appearance. This reversal of long-established thought is expressed in a compressed and energetic language that reads like a manifesto.”Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, Stanford University

“The kind of book … that leads one to rethink our standard narratives of history and to see our society and era in a fresh light.”Steven Mintz, Inside Higher Ed“an essential philosopher for anyone wanting to diagnose what plagues the modern person”The Gospel Coalition

Byung-Chul Han is a Korean-born Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Studies who teaches at the University of the Arts (UdK) in Berlin. He is the author of more than 20 books including The Scent of Time, Saving Beauty and The Burnout Society.