Foucault, politics and the autonomy of the aesthetic
International Journal of Philosophical Studies 4 (2):273 – 291 (1996)
| Abstract | Abstract How should we read Foucault's claims, in his late work, for the relevance of ?aesthetic criteria? to politics? What is Foucault's implicit understanding of the nature of aesthetics and the autonomy of the aesthetic sphere? Would an ethics which gave a place to the aesthetic legitimize a politics of manipulation, brutality and aggression ? in short, a ?fascist? politics ? as some of Foucault's critics argue? In this paper, I examine key accounts of the fascist ?aestheticization of politics? ? from Walter Benjamin's classic essay, ?The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction? (1936), to Philippe Lacoue?Labarthe's work on the relation between Heidegger's philosophy and the fascist theme of politics as the plastic art of the state. Through a discussion of Foucault's late work, the paper demonstrates the connection between Foucault's turn to ancient Greek ethical practices and his call for a contemporary renewal of the idea of ethics as an art of living. The aim of the paper is to show in what ways the ethico?political position which is presented in Foucault's late work, far from contributing to a fascist politics, in fact provides ways of thinking about the relationship between the aesthetic and the political which avoid both mindless radicalism and totalitarian narcissism. In doing so, the key question is, ?What's aesthetic about Foucault's ?aesthetics of existence"?? | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,701 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesKaren Vintges (2001). 'Must We Burn Foucault?' Ethics as Art of Living: Simone de Beauvoir and Michel Foucault. Continental Philosophy Review 34 (2):165-181.
Benda Hofmeyr (2006). The Power Not to Be (What We Are): The Politics and Ethics of Self-Creation in Foucault. Journal of Moral Philosophy 3 (2):215-230.
Jakub Franěk (2006). Philosophical Parrhesia as Aesthetics of Existence. Continental Philosophy Review 39 (2):113-134.
Brian T. Trainor (2003). Foucault and the Politics of Difference. Philosophy and Social Criticism 29 (5):563-580.
Luisa Muraro (1987). On Conflicts and Differences Among Women. Hypatia 2 (2):139 - 141.
Michael Dillon & Andrew W. Neal (eds.) (2008). Foucault on Politics, Security and War. Palgrave Macmillan.
Steve Garlick (2002). The Beauty of Friendship: Foucault, Masculinity and the Work of Art. Philosophy and Social Criticism 28 (5):558-577.
Ronald Beiner (1995). Foucault's Hyper‐Liberalism. Critical Review 9 (3):349-370.
Marli Huijer (1999). The Aesthetics of Existence in the Work of Michel Foucault. Philosophy and Social Criticism 25 (2):61-85.
Dianna Taylor (2003). Practicing Politics with Foucault and Kant: Toward a Critical Life. Philosophy and Social Criticism 29 (3):259-280.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-02-01Total downloads11 ( #99,573 of 549,113 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,361 of 549,113 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
