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March 27, 2009
CfP Journal: The Arts of Democracy
SOUNDINGS: An Interdisciplinary Journal --CFP: The Arts of Democracy
It is often assumed that the arts, and particularly the fine arts, create and sustain the kinds of social distinctions that are antithetical to true democracy. This is the claim advanced by Pierre Bordiue's influential Distinction where he argues that what appear to be innocent differences in aesthetic tastes are, in fact, the markers of class identity that enforce social hierarchy. However, there is a countervailing tradition, represented most famously by John Dewey, that insists that the arts are necessary to the health and longevity of democratic culture, and many contemporary artists and theorists are devoted to developing an aesthetic that participates in the development of democratic ideals.
Is a democratic aesthetic merely wishful thinking, or do the arts have some role to play in democratic culture? Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal is soliciting articles which address the relationship between the arts and democratic culture and politics. Possible topics include:
Revolutionary Rhetoric/ The literature of Democracy: How Literature Influences Democracy
The Restorative Function of Art/ The Aesthetics of Overcoming Hardship
The Arts as a Model for Democratic Collaboration and Conflict Resolution
How Art Locates/Influences/Creates the Language of Cultural Diversity
The Aesthetics of Politics or Political Aestheticism
The Ethics of Supporting the Arts During Economic Crisis
Virtual Spaces: The Internet and the Globalization of Democracy
Democratic Kitsch
SOUNDINGS
216 Aconda Ct.
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN
Email: sounding@utk.edu
Visit the website at http://web.utk.edu/~sounding
Posted by agripley at March 27, 2009 10:21 AM