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Das Unbehagen in der Ästhetik
Damit es Kunst gibt, genügt es nicht, dass es Maler oder Musiker, Tänzer oder Schauspieler gibt. Damit es ästhetisches Empfinden gibt, genügt es nicht, dass wir Vergnügen daran finden, sie zu sehen oder zu hören. Damit es Kunst gibt, braucht es einen Blick und ein Denken, die sie identifizieren. Ästhetik ist der Name eines spezifischen Regimes der Identifizierung von Kunst.
Man klagte gestern die Ästhetik an, die kulturellen Spiele der gesellschaftlichen Unterscheidung zu verdecken. Man möchte heute die künstlerischen Praktiken von ihrem parasitären Diskurs befreien. Aber die Ästhetik ist kein Diskurs, sie ist ein historisches Regime der Identifizierung von Kunst. Dieses Regime ist paradox, denn es begründet gleichzeitig die Autonomie der Kunst und löst die Grenzen zu den Gegenständen des gewöhnlichen Lebens auf. In dieser unaufgelösten Spannung von zwei Politiken ist die Ästhetik nicht zufällig politisch, sondern ihrem Wesen nach. Diese konstitutive Spannung erlaubt zu verstehen, wie die Aufrufe, die Kunst von der Ästhetik zu befreien, heute dazu führen, sie mitsamt der Politik in ethischer Ununterschiedenheit zu ertränken.
Man klagte gestern die Ästhetik an, die kulturellen Spiele der gesellschaftlichen Unterscheidung zu verdecken. Man möchte heute die künstlerischen Praktiken von ihrem parasitären Diskurs befreien. Aber die Ästhetik ist kein Diskurs, sie ist ein historisches Regime der Identifizierung von Kunst. Dieses Regime ist paradox, denn es begründet gleichzeitig die Autonomie der Kunst und löst die Grenzen zu den Gegenständen des gewöhnlichen Lebens auf. In dieser unaufgelösten Spannung von zwei Politiken ist die Ästhetik nicht zufällig politisch, sondern ihrem Wesen nach. Diese konstitutive Spannung erlaubt zu verstehen, wie die Aufrufe, die Kunst von der Ästhetik zu befreien, heute dazu führen, sie mitsamt der Politik in ethischer Ununterschiedenheit zu ertränken.
157 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2004
21 people are currently reading
687 people want to read
About the author
Jacques Rancière
205 books485 followersJacques Rancière (born Algiers, 1940) is a French philosopher and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris (St. Denis) who came to prominence when he co-authored Reading Capital (1968), with the Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser.
Rancière contributed to the influential volume Reading "Capital" (though his contribution is not contained in the partial English translation) before publicly breaking with Althusser over his attitude toward the May 1968 student uprising in Paris.
Since then, Rancière has departed from the path set by his teacher and published a series of works probing the concepts that make up our understanding of political discourse. What is ideology? What is the proletariat? Is there a working class? And how do these masses of workers that thinkers like Althusser referred to continuously enter into a relationship with knowledge? We talk about them but what do we know? An example of this line of thinking is Rancière's book entitled Le philosophe et ses pauvres (The Philosopher and His Poor, 1983), a book about the role of the poor in the intellectual lives of philosophers.
Most recently Rancière has written on the topic of human rights and specifically the role of international human rights organizations in asserting the authority to determine which groups of people — again the problem of masses — justify human rights interventions, and even war.
In 2006, it was reported that Rancière's aesthetic theory had become a point of reference in the visual arts, and Rancière has lectured at such art world events as the Freize Art Fair. Former French presidential candidate Ségolène Royal has cited Rancière as her favourite philosopher.
Rancière contributed to the influential volume Reading "Capital" (though his contribution is not contained in the partial English translation) before publicly breaking with Althusser over his attitude toward the May 1968 student uprising in Paris.
Since then, Rancière has departed from the path set by his teacher and published a series of works probing the concepts that make up our understanding of political discourse. What is ideology? What is the proletariat? Is there a working class? And how do these masses of workers that thinkers like Althusser referred to continuously enter into a relationship with knowledge? We talk about them but what do we know? An example of this line of thinking is Rancière's book entitled Le philosophe et ses pauvres (The Philosopher and His Poor, 1983), a book about the role of the poor in the intellectual lives of philosophers.
Most recently Rancière has written on the topic of human rights and specifically the role of international human rights organizations in asserting the authority to determine which groups of people — again the problem of masses — justify human rights interventions, and even war.
In 2006, it was reported that Rancière's aesthetic theory had become a point of reference in the visual arts, and Rancière has lectured at such art world events as the Freize Art Fair. Former French presidential candidate Ségolène Royal has cited Rancière as her favourite philosopher.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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October 15, 2013OMG, my Avatar is on the cover of this book.....!!!!!
I will have to get it!!!!
I will have to get it!!!!
December 20, 2012
This is programmatic--I advise everyone to read it. It resolutely hammers out the autonomy/dissolution issue. And for that, Ranciere flips through several centuries of aesthetics, making everything clean and maximally lucid. He deserves his fame and all the citations
December 22, 2025
I’ve been reading this book for too long. At some point I had to finish it. I can’t say this was a smooth sail, lots of parts that are way too gritty, made me feel like I was trying to decode a language I don’t know. A short but hard read. Thankfully not all his books are like this. Regardless, I’m glad to have finished this one as it had valuable ideas in it that gave me insight, opened some doors.
June 4, 2020
挺有見地 不錯
November 25, 2024
Read intro+ch1 for class. Very lucid cogent and compelling. Sometimes u will not understand, but Jacques will help u understand.
June 5, 2025
Aussi connu comme malaise dans ma thése :(
June 16, 2016
This philosopher always appeals
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews