Full Description
Aesthetic theory in the West has, until now, been dominated by ideas of effect, autonomy, and reception. Transformative Aesthetics uncovers these theories' mutual concern with the transformation of those involved.
From artists to spectators, readers, listeners, or audiences, the idea of transformation is one familiar to cultures across the globe. Transformation of the individual is only one part of this aesthetic phenomenon, as contemporary artists are increasingly called upon to have a transformative, sustainable impact on society at large. To this end, Erika Fischer Lichte and Benjamin Wihstutz present a series of fresh perspectives on the discussion of aesthetics, uniting Western theory with that of India, China, Australia, and beyond.
Each chapter of Transformative Aesthetics focuses on a different approach to transformation, from the foundations of aesthetics to contemporary theories, breaking new ground to establish a network of thought that spans theatre, performance, art history, cultural studies, and philosophy.
Contents
Introduction: Transformative Aesthetics—Reflections on the Metamorphic Power of Art
Erika Fischer-Lichte
1 Aristotle's theory of Katharsis in its Historical and Social Contexts
Edith Hall
2 The Taste of Art and Transcendence: Transformation(s) in Rasa and Bhakti Aesthetics
Guillermo Rodriguez
3 Metamorphosis in the Picture
Bernhard Waldenfels
4 Somaesthetics and Self-Cultivation in Chinese Art
Richard Shusterman
5 Schiller's Transformative Aesthetics
Benjamin Wihstutz
6 Clairvoyance and Transformation: Wagner's Neuroaesthetics
Matthew Wilson Smith
7 The Invisible Vanguard: Reflections on Political Movements and Contemporary AvantGarde Formations
James Harding
8 Applied Theatre: Theatre for Change
Matthias Warstat
9 Transformative Resistance and Aesthetics
Bill Ashcroft
10 The Art of not Relating with one Another—Notes on Some Issues and Potentials of Relational Art
Sandra Umathum
