Description
Book SynopsisJames Winchester brings the western philosophical tradition into dialog with contemporary African-American thinkers in an attempt to bridge (or at least understand) the culture gap in aesthetic judgments.
Trade ReviewWith impressive ease and grace, Winchester guides us through the bold and subtle theories of Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Derrida, and Adorno in search of clues for understanding the art of the oppressed. From a brilliant weave of art and theory comes a highly persuasive conclusion that is neither modern nor postmodern: Art gives us a glimpse, however incomplete, into the world of others. -- Cynthia Willett, Author of Maternal Ethics and Other Slave Moralities
Winchester's book tackles a difficult and timely subject—cultural diversity in the evaluation of art, especially in the context of contemporary America. To do so he draws on a wide range of classical and recent aesthetic theories and offers a wealth of examples. His book is as diverse and wide-ranging as its topic, but it is guided by a steady theoretical hand throughout. -- David Carr, Emory University
This is an adventurous critical encounter between Continental philosophical aesthetics and some key works from 20th-century black Americans. * CHOICE *
Aesthetics Across the Color Line poses an important and timely question: the question of aesthetic judgements across cultural borders. James Winchester addresses it in original ways. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the intersection of art and politics in the contemporary world. -- Robert Bernasconi, Pennsylvania State University
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction: Understanding the Art of Others Chapter 2 Understanding Aesthetic Judgments across Cultural Borders Chapter 3 Why Nietzsche (Sometimes) Can't Sing the Blues; or Davis, Nietzsche, and the Social Embededness of Aesthetic Judgments Chapter 4 Misunderstanding Aesthetic Judgments across Cultural Divides Chapter 5 Adorno, Jazz, and the Limits of Apprenticeship Chapter 6 Art and the Politics of Representation in the South Bronx
