Rachel R. Rosner
Rachel R. Rosner
philosopher and writer exploring the intersections of critical theory, religion, culture, and ethics
philosopher and writer exploring the intersections of critical theory, religion, culture, and ethics
My research focuses on Critical Theory, Philosophy of Religion, and Social and Political Theory.
Currently, I hold a Knapp Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Christosemitism Project, directed by Professor Karma Ben Johanan, at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
My forthcoming book, Adorno and the Question of Theology: Religion and Reason Beyond Foundations (Bloomsbury, 2026), examines how the secular–religious divide might be rethought to support a more pluralistic and responsive framework for ethical reasoning.In my postdoctoral work, I am developing new research on postsecularism and antisemitism, tracing how religious and secular categories remain bound in modern political discourse, and how we might move beyond reactive positions.
PhD, Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University (2025)
MA, Philosophy, Northwestern University
BA, Philosophy, University of Oregon
New Book
Available here: Bloomsbury Academic, 2026
Adorno and the Question of Theology: Religion and Reason Beyond Foundations
Can we move beyond the religious-secular divide and live together ethically in a shared political world? This book argues that Theodor W. Adorno, one of the 20th century's most influential, if misunderstood thinkers, shows that we can.
Purchase and learn more at this link.
Writing
published and in progress
"A Model Beyond Foundations: Adorno's Theological Constellation"
Forthcoming, Journal of Speculative Philosophy, December 2025
I explore Adorno's mobilization of theological language as the premier expression of his nonfoundational method. My reading of his "theological constellation," defined against both 'inverse' and 'negative' theology, challenges persistsent paradoxes in his reception and dominant frameworks in critical social theory today.
"Postsecular Antisemitism: Assessing Adorno and Habermas on Religion and Reason"
In progress
This paper introduces the concept of postsecular antisemitism to describe how contemporary forms of antisemitism, as a diagnostic cipher of the postsecular condition, emerge from mixed religious and secular logics. I argue that Adorno, writing ahead of his time, offers a more effective framework for understanding this condition than Habermas’s postsecular model, especially when read in dialogue with recent research on the co-constitution of the religious and the secular.
"Adorno, Kabbalah, and the Expansion of Enlightenment Reason"
In progress
This paper moves beyond the well-explored questions of how and where Adorno engages with Kabbalistic ideas to ask why they matter for his critical project. I aruge these ideas become a crucial point of departure for rethinking the relationship between Enlightenment reason and theological traditions.
Other Projects
In Progress
Other projects include work on Sartre and Adorno, Adorno’s engagement with Benjamin, and a broader research trajectory on the structural persistence of antisemitism.
Book Reviews and Public Writing
I have published reviews that situate new scholarship within broader debates in philosophy and critical theory, highlighting their relevance for contemporary discussions of ethics, theology, politics, and culture.
My public writing brings insights from philosophy into conversation with current political and cultural debates.
