The Collective Self: Reflection and Religion in Byzantium and the Middle East - Paperback

$68.40

The Collective Self: Reflection and Religion in Byzantium and the Middle East - Paperback

Name: The Collective Self: Reflection and Religion in Byzantium and the Middle East - Paperback
Brand: BooksCloud
SKU: 9781531514204
Price: 68.40 USD
Availability: InStock

by Zachary Ugolnik

$68.40

Book Overview

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by Zachary Ugolnik (Author)

Reveals a conception of selfhood in Byzantine and Middle-Eastern sources that is fundamentally collective rather than merely individual, challenging Western-centric narratives of the modern self and enriching contemporary discussions on communal ways of being

What if the story we tell ourselves about of the modern self is incomplete? The Collective Self chal-lenges narrow histories of Western selfhood that limit our understanding of both past and present.

Drawing on mirror imagery as a unifying thread, this book brings overlooked sources from the eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, and Orthodox Christian tradition into conversation with Western genealogies of "knowing thyself." Reflections and mirrors--an ancient technology--become embedded in discussions of self-knowledge. From the Odes of Solomon and Plotinus's Enneads to the writings of Evagrius, Athanasius, and Ephrem the Syrian, and concluding with medieval Syriac writers and a few emblematic Sufi sources, Ugolnik reveals a conception of selfhood that is fundamentally collective rather than merely individual.

The Collective Self intervenes in current debates about embodiment, interdependence, and communion by demonstrating that reflexivity and communal selfhood are not exclusively modern or post-modern innovations. By highlighting optical theories that allow convergence in perception and embodied notions of the self, this book problematizes the assumption that introspection is only mental or individual and challenges typical associations of what is ancient or modern, Eastern or Western.

In these texts, mirror imagery articulates a convergence of gazes between oneself, the divine, and glorified beings--what Ugolnik calls "I and We." This synthesis occurs through communal practices of prayer, liturgy, psalm, and hymn singing that create pathways for practitioners to participate in each other's subjectivity across space and time.

As we enter a new bio-technological and computational age, this alternative history of self-reflection offers vital resources for imagining more inclusive models of identity, empathy, and col-lective flourishing--reminding us that technology has long served as a medium for understanding who we are.

Author Biography

Zachary Ugolnik is a scholar and writer specializing in interdisciplinary approaches to life's biggest questions. He currently works in philanthropy at the intersection of the social sciences, philosophy, and theological studies. He earned his master's from Harvard University and his PhD from Columbia University's religion department. He has co-edited and authored scholarly articles in outlets such as Dædalus, The Journal of Religion, Religion & Literature, and Harvard Divinity Bulletin.

Number of Pages: 244

Dimensions: 0.55 x 9 x 6 IN

Publication Date: September 01, 2026

ISBN	9781531514204
Author	Zachary Ugolnik
Publisher	Fordham University Press
Genre	Religion & spirituality, History, and Philosophy
Format	Paperback
Published	September 2026
Language	ENG- English
Pages	244
Weight	1.0 lb
Target Audience	Adults
Print Size	Standard Print