Aesthetic Sensibility in the World of Politics (original) (raw)

Abstract

What is the role of art and aesthetic sensibility in an era of political, cultural, and human destruction? And on the other end of the political spectrum: to what extent is art necessary for upholding plurality, participation, freedom? These are questions that Hannah Arendt never posed, but to which her probing of modern life and politics can contribute radical perspectives, as shown by Cecilia Sjöholm in the illuminative Att se saker med Arendt: Konst, estetik, politik (2020) [Doing Aesthetics with Arendt: How to See Things (2015)]. Hannah Arendt is mostly known for her contribution to our understanding of political action and the ethics of thinking. Littlealmost nothing-has been said of her work in relation to aesthetics. Sjöholm's book is therefore a welcome exploration of the aesthetic implications of Arendt's writing on publicity, the common world, and the sensibility of the real, with larger implications for how to understand capitalism, colonialism, modernity, human life, and if there is ever a space where freedom can manifest. As such, the book has a dual readership: anyone familiar with Arendt's work who might be somewhat surprised to see the question of aesthetics even come up, and the scholar of aesthetics who might need a little convincing that Arendt can provide something relevant to aesthetic theory. In response to the Arendt scholar who might interject, Sjöholm readily agrees that Arendt did not write a theory of aesthetics and that her reflections on the subject are scattered. Nonetheless, Sjöholm suggests, Arendt's writing on art and aesthetics is conceptually coherent. By extracting arguments from Arendt's rare discussions of artworks, her private notebooks, and her scattered writings on historical narrative, culture, fabrication, and mass-production, Sjöholm synthesises Arendt's thinking on aesthetics into a coherent conceptual map. This is a large task in itself, and no doubt Arendt scholars from a variety of disciplines will find the book helpful in its extracting of the interstitial

Key takeaways

AI

1. Sjöholm argues that Arendt's aesthetics contribute to understanding plurality in political action and public life.
2. Art serves as a durable counter to the temporality of consumerism, fostering lasting societal engagement.
3. Sjöholm contextualizes Arendt's scattered writings on aesthetics within the radical shifts in 20th-century art.
4. The book bridges the gap between Arendt's political theory and aesthetic sensibility, inviting new dialogues.
5. Art plays a crucial role in shaping public space and resisting totalitarianism by promoting plural appearances.

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