Sabbath and labor in the neoliberal rationality

Theology, liberation and productive efficiencyry

Abstract

The objective of this article is to present a political theological reading about work in a “neoliberal rationality” and to imagine ways out of this way of life. In this reading, based on P. Dardot & C. Laval and Byung-Chul Han, it is understood that there is a mode of existence in neoliberalism that centers on a subjectivation of the “entrepreneur of himself. With this scenario, the hypothesis assumed is that Shabbat, due to the absence of productive activity, is a powerful and interesting concept given the urgency of creating ways out of this logic. As a suspicion, this text also indicates that some political practices, such as certain liberation theologies, which wish to carry out a theological critique of the capitalist “world of work”, can exercise the same scheme, with the search for an efficient “work ethic”. Finally, the text presents a brief reflection that addresses the following question: in the face of neoliberalism, will we escape the sad desires of work?