Description
Book SynopsisWhat are the predominant aesthetics of the twenty-first century? Thorsten Botz-Bornstein argues that deculturation, embodied by the conspicuous vulgarity of kitsch, is the overriding visual language of our times. Drawing on the work of Islam scholar Olivier Roy, who argued that religious fundamentalism arises when religion is separated from the indigenous cultural values, Botz-Bornstein shows that the production of absolute' truths through deculturation also exists in contemporary education. The neoliberal environment has separated learning from culture by emphasizing standardization and quantified learning outcomes. In a globalized environment, the idea of culture is no longer available as a referent; instead we are taught to rely on the culturally neutral term excellence'. For Botz-Bornstein, this is an absolute value similar to the truth' of religious fundamentalists. Similarly, kitsch is what happens when aesthetic values are separated from cultural contexts. Kitsch is aesthetic
Trade ReviewThis bold and laudably readable defense of the humanities links both the market worship of the neoliberal right and the empty relativism of the left to the abandonment of culture in kitsch. Even more, it offers clever and detailed analyses of a full range of contemporary sensibilities. * Gary Cross, author of "Packaged Pleasures: How Technology and Marketing Revolutionized Desire" *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Fundamentalism, Neoliberalism, Kitsch 1. A Religion of Excellence 2. Kitsch: An Alternative Aesthetic Truth 3. A Culture of Narcissism 4. Cute, Excellent, Sublime, Interesting 5. Can Liberalism be Saved? 6. Three Anti-Liberalists: Burckhard, Meinecke, Evola 7. The Narcissistic Culture of Quantification Conclusion Bibliography Index
