This paper examines Major Barbara through the lens of political theology and post-secular theory to argue that George Bernard Shaw reshapes salvation as an economic rather than spiritual condition. While critical readings often interpret the play as a Fabian socialist critique of charity, this study advances the argument that Shaw stages a radical displacement of Christianity into the domain of industrial capitalism. Andrew Undershaft’s armament empire is not merely an economic structure but a theological paradigm in which power, wealth, and production replace divine grace as the instruments of redemption. Drawing on Max Weber’s theory of rationalization, Carl Schmitt’s conception of political theology, and contemporary post-secular discourse, the article demonstrates how Shaw dramatizes the transformation of religion into structural authority. The Salvation Army’s dependence on capitalist funding exposes the fragility of moral absolutism in a modern economy governed by systemic power. Barbara’s crisis of faith thus marks not a defeat but a transition—from spiritual idealism to an ethics grounded in material conditions. This paper anticipates contemporary critiques of neoliberal moralism by revealing how economic sovereignty redefines ethical legitimacy.

Authors:
Mafruha Ferdous, American International University-Baqngladesh, Bangladesh

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Mafruha Ferdous is an Associate Professor in English Literature with PhD from the University of Dhaka. Her research interests primarily lie in post colonialism, ecocriticism, ecofeminist and feminist theory.

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