Foucault's Aesthetics of Existence and Shusterman's Somaesthetics - by Valentina Antoniol & Stefano Marino (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This volume provides the first critical comparison of Michel Foucault's aesthetics of existence and Richard Shusterman's somaesthetics. Introduced by a comprehensive overview of the concepts by the editors, the ensuing chapters build on the interdisciplinary character of both ideas, beyond a narrow focus on art and beauty, exploring a wide range of topics ranging from politics to the philosophy of sexuality. This volume reveals not only the important role Foucault's philosophy has played in Shusterman's work, but also how recent developments in somaesthetics and somapower present a complement, or even alternative, to Foucault's notions of biopower and biopolitics"--

Book Synopsis

Bringing together Michel Foucault's aesthetics of existence and Richard Shusterman's somaesthetics, this volume provides a critical comparison of two of the most influential philosophical theories of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Introduced by a comprehensive overview of both concepts by editors Stefano Marino and Valentina Antoniol, the ensuing chapters interrogate the affinities and variances between Foucault's and Shusterman's philosophies. Building on the interdisciplinary character of somaesthetics and aesthetics of existence, international scholars explore these ideas through a wide range of topics ranging from care of the self and of the social self to the ethical and political challenges posed by themes as white ignorance, construction of resistances, and production of subjectivities. Given the central role played by the body in both concepts, this volume also affords particular attention to the philosophy of sexuality.

Demonstrating the value of reading these two thinkers together through the adoption of radical interpretive perspectives, Foucault's Aesthetics of Existence and Shusterman's Somaesthetics highlights the potentialities and the relevance of Foucault's and Shusterman's theories, even with respect to our actualité.

Review Quotes

"I would recommend this book to any potential reader. It is a book we need ... [I]t could inspire us to create better conditions by using one of the strongest tools for creativity, morality and resistance that we already possess: our own body." --META: Research in Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, and Practical Philosophy

"The volume testifies to the vitality of philosophical concepts oriented toward the cultivation of arts of living. By engaging with both the embodied dimension of experience and the pressing concerns of the present, the volume's contributions demonstrate that philosophy remains a vital exercise in civic responsibility." --Pragmatism Today

About the Author

Valentina Antoniol is Researcher of Political Philosophy at the University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Italy. Her main research interests and research fields are political philosophy, political theory, contemporary continental philosophy, history of political thought and feminist philosophy. She is the author of Foucault et la guerre. À partir de Schmitt, contre Schmitt (2023).

Stefano Marino is Associate Professor of Aesthetics at the University of Bologna, Italy. His main research interests and research fields are philosophical hermeneutics, critical theory of society, neo-pragmatism and somaesthetics, philosophy of music, and aesthetics of fashion. He co-edited the book Pearl Jam and Philosophy (Bloomsbury, 2021).