Description
Book SynopsisAt the turn of the millennium, international youth culture is dominated by mainly two types of aesthetics: the African American cool, which, propelled by Hip-Hop music, has become the world''s favorite youth culture; and the Japanese aesthetics of kawaii or cute, that is distributed internationally by Japan''s powerful anime industry. The USA and Japan are cultural superpowers and global trendsetters because they make use of two particular concepts that hide complex structures under their simple surfaces and are difficult to define, but continue to fascinate the world: cool and kawaii. The Cool-Kawaii: Afro-Japanese Aesthetics and New World Modernity, by Thorsten Botz-Bornstein, analyzes these attitudes and explains the intrinsic powers that are leading to a fusion of both aesthetics. Cool and kawaii are expressions set against the oppressive homogenizations that occur within official modern cultures, but they are also catalysts of modernity. Cool and kawaii do not refer us back to a
Trade ReviewBy investigating the rich manifestations of two globalizing aesthetics—cuteness and coolness—Thorsten Botz-Bornstein offers a subtle interpretation that explores the nexus of consumerism, virtual reality, and ethics. -- Brian J. McVeigh, University of Arizona
Thorsten Botz-Bornstein's vast knowledge of philosophy and theory is amalgamated with his keen understanding of Japanese, African-American, and Afro-Japanese cultures to explain with precision, clarity, and valuable insights, tricky concepts such as kawaii, modernity, cuteness, coolness, kitsch, and dandyism. Drawing upon boundless examples, including those of Japanese manga and anime, Botz-Bornstein has given us a volume that will spark discussion and debate in a number of disciplines and set a standard for theoretical analysis. -- John A. Lent, Publisher and Editor-in-chief, International Journal of Comic Art
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Acknowledgments Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 1.Cool and Kawaii Chapter 4 2.New World Modernity Chapter 5 3.Aspects of Cuteness Chapter 6 4.Cross Gender Tendencies in Cool and Kawaii Chapter 7 5.Coolness between Virtue Ethics and Aesthetics Chapter 8 6.The Temptation of Kitsch Chapter 9 7.Kitsch in Japan: Tradition and Modernity Chapter 10 8.Cool and Dandyism: Two Words—One Concept Chapter 11 9.Dandyism, Consumer Society, and Virtual Reality Chapter 12 10.Conclusion: A Dialectics of Cool and Kawaii? Chapter 13 Bibliography Chapter 14 Index Chapter 15 About the Author
