Contemporary Academic Thought Series · Cultural Modernity and Aesthetic Issues

Author: Zhou Xian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: The concept of modernity has always been closely associated with aesthetics or artistic practice. Although the connotation of this concept later far exceeded the scope of aesthetics and expanded to various levels such as society, politics, economy, and culture, its aesthetic significance has remained consistent. The research methodology of this book is quite similar to the keyword study method advocated by Raymond Williams. On the premise of highlighting the correlation among aesthetics, modernity, and social theory, it reveals some concepts that represent cultural modernity and aesthetic modernity, such as nostalgia, rationalization, the art world, avant-garde, and the end of art. By exploring the complex relationships between these concepts, it uncovers their rich socio-cultural implications. This is also a research method in the history of ideas. The book not only provides a new approach for current aesthetic research in terms of methodology but also advances the discussion on the issue of modernity at the micro level.