Crossing the suffering of modernity

Author: Chen Gang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: In China, as one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century, Adorno's name is relatively well-known, and fragmentary critiques of his thought occasionally appear in academic literature. However, to date, there has been no systematic and in-depth study or interpretation of Adorno's cultural and art theory within the domestic academic community. This is partly due to the complexity of Adorno's thought, which makes it seem daunting; on the other hand, it is because Chinese academia has not fully recognized the contemporary cultural value of Adorno's thought, and more enthusiasm has been invested in chasing the latest academic trends abroad. These two reasons are, of course, closely interconnected. This book is an attempt to systematically study and interpret Adorno's modern art and mass culture theory. To achieve true systematic depth, the book conducts in-depth research and interpretation of Adorno's major philosophical works and his cultural and art theory, striving to reveal the internal logic of Adorno's cultural and art theory—which differs from Adorno's own fragmented theoretical expression. However, this is very necessary for introducing Adorno's thought to Chinese readers. It should be noted that only by truly recognizing the inherent unity of Adorno's thought can one fully grasp its diversity and richness. This is a key aspect of the book's work. Building on this foundation, the second part of the book is a study and interpretation of contemporary Chinese mass culture. This part has two fundamental characteristics:
First, it demonstrates the profound influence of Adorno's thought on the contemporary Chinese culture studied by the author, which validates the significance of Adorno's thought for contemporary cultural studies.
Second, in the analysis of specific phenomena in contemporary Chinese culture, the author fully expresses personal insights into the new phenomena in world culture and the particularity of contemporary Chinese culture, which do not necessarily align entirely with Adorno's thought.