Reparative Aesthetics: Witnessing in Contemporary Art Photography

Description

By offering a new way of thinking about the role of politically engaged art, Susan Best opens up a new aesthetic field: reparative aesthetics. The book identifies an innovative aesthetic on the part of women photographers from the southern hemisphere, who against the dominant modes of criticality in political art, look at how cultural production can be reparative. Reparative Aesthetics contributes an entirely new theory to the interdisciplinary fields of aesthetics, affect studies, feminist theory, politics and photography. Conceptually innovative and fiercely original this book will move us beyond old political and cultural stalemates and into new terrain for analysis and reflection. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Guilt and Shame Current Debates in Affect Studies The current debate: shame and anti-intentionalism Leys and Sedgwick: points of convergence, psychoanalysis and affect theory Guilt and shame about the past 2 Witnessing Fever Witnessing: from oral testimony to watching the news Identification and non-identification 3 Shame and the Convict Stain Anne Ferran’s Lost to Worlds What remains: the heritage of convict women Lost to Worlds : shame, guilt and reparation Aftermath images and witnessing 4 Fiona Pardington Colonialism and Repair in the Southern Seas Colonialism, postcolonialism and voyages to the Southern Seas Presence, occluded vision and witnessing Life aesthetics, mortuary aesthetics: reparation and the redemption of damaged life 5 Rosângela Rennó‘ Little Stories of the Downtrodden and the Vanquished’ Immemorial : Brasília, capital of hope, cruel utopia Corpo da Alma: pictures of people holding pictures 6 Our Dark Side Milagros de la Torre’s The Lost Steps The testimony of objects: war and crime in a time of fear Dark enlightenment: perversion, shame, shock Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index