ESPES. The Slovak Journal of Aesthetics lanza una llamada a la participación para un nuevo monográfico dedicado a esta categoría estética y fenómeno cultural. Envíos hasta el 30 de junio de 2024.
La editora invitada Lisa Katharin Schmalzried (Universität Hamburg) y el equipo editorial de la revista invitan a participar en un volumen especial de ESPES. La Revista Eslovaca de Estética dedicada a “Kitsch: nuevas perspectivas sobre un fenómeno estético y cultural controvertido”.
Fecha límite de presentación: 30 de junio de 2024.
El Call for Papers completo/ ESPES_CFP_2024-KITSCH
KITSCH: New Perspectives on a Controversial Aesthetic and Cultural Phenomenon
In his seminal essay, “Avant-Garde and Kitsch,” Clement Greenberg under-scores how widespread kitsch has become since the Industrial Revolution. His assertion, made in 1939, remains as pertinent today as ever, with kitsch intertwining with artworks, design objects, and everyday items and practices. The ubiquity and diverse manifestations of kitsch in contemporary culture suggest that it embodies an aesthetic and cultural phenomenon emblematic of (post-/late-) modernity. For philosophers exploring aesthetic, cultural, and societal themes, delving into the realm of kitsch becomes a compelling pursuit.
In 1912, Pazaurek characterized kitsch as the antithesis of genuine and ingenious art—tasteless trash for the masses, ignorant of any ethical, logical, or aesthetic demands, indifferent to any transgressions against materials, techniques, or art forms, and masquerading as valuable while remaining cheap. This tone persisted in subsequent years, with critics highlighting kitsch’s profound aesthetic, epistemic, ethical, and/or political deficiencies. However, the 1960s witnessed a shift in attitudes toward kitsch. Disapproval waned. Furthermore, kitsch critics now faced accusations of cultural pessimism, conservatism, or sexism. Kitsch even infiltrated the art world, giving birth to kitsch art. In 2002, Liessmann finally concluded that bad taste is now good taste. Debates persist regarding whether kitsch art is truly kitsch or merely serves as ironic or quoted commentary on kitsch. And many philosophers, art critics, and the general public continue to disdain kitsch. Despite the enduring negative perception of kitsch, it is a remarkable fact that many people enjoy, like, and even love kitsch. Given kitsch’s mass appeal, are kitsch critics just anti-hedonic, or might their criticisms hold validity?
The special issue aims to gather diverse perspectives on kitsch as a controversial contemporary aesthetic and cultural phenomenon. While we primarily invite philosophical submissions, we also welcome interdisciplin-ary or artistic contributions. Submissions may explore questions such as:
• How can one define kitsch, and should one attempt to do so?
• What is the relationship between kitsch and art? How do different theories on (good) art change the outlook on kitsch?
• How does kitsch intersect with mass and popular art?
• Is kitsch truly a phenomenon of (post-/late-)modernity, and why?
• What historical perspectives provide fruitful insights into kitsch?
• What are post-colonial, feminist, and/or intersectional perspectives on kitsch?
