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Aesthetics of Form as Social Philosophy. Re-reading Lukács. Eds. Christine Magerski and
Andrew Simon Gilbert, Zagreb: FF press 2019.

According to Judith Butler, the actualizationa re-reading of Georg Lukács opens upopens a Formatted ...
perspective that which fundamentally upsets the concepts that have circulated in literary-
theoretical debates since the 1960s. The publishers of the volume Aesthetics of Form as Social
Philosophy share this conviction, and call for a focus entirely on the concept of form, –
understood in the broadest sense as the result of a primary demarcation that in the first place
opens up the begins a framework for communication, cognition and/or social interaction.
“Form”, Butler writes, referring to the scope of the term in young Lukács’s writings, “is not
added on to expression, but becomes its condition, the sign and possibility of its subjective
and objective truth” (Butler, 2011, p. 2). "Form," Butler writes, referring to the scope of the
term in Lukács`s writings, "is not something that comes to expression, but becomes a
condition, a sign, and the possibility of its subjective and objective truth" (Butler, 2011,
translated back into English form the German translation of the English original by CM,
please check the original). Moreover, an attention to form, which according to Lukács can
never be understood outside its own genealogy, becomes the condition and possibility of its
self critiqueself-critique:, as it makes renders the contingency of the what existsing visible by
uncovering the becoming of the forms themselves, and thus allows us a “"critical reading of
reality as representationas it presents itself"” (Menke 2018, the German original here is Commented [AG1]: My German isn't very good at all. But
Darstellung, and I´m not quite sure whether representation is the right translation). In in this context in English, representation connotes an
appearance/reality dichotomy which might be closer to
developing this idea, young To such a reading the forms of literature, life, and the social were Vorstellung.
submitted by Lukács was able to submit forms of literature, life, and the social to readings in Does this perhaps make more sense?

a way that has yet to be matchedare still unsurpassed. However, theIf its productive Formatted ...
possibilities that Lukács’s problematization of form can offer in literary and cultural studies
are still remain largely unrealized. We suggest that this is, it is because the problem of form,
outlined by Lukács, Lukács’s youthful work has been was soon overshadowed by the a
dogmatism , with through which he, insistingadhering to on (a Marxist ) distinctiondoctrine,
tried to achieve a political resolution solof ve the problem later on..

And yet, the problem of how binding demarcations can resulting emerge from out of the Formatted ...
contingency of our cultural, social and natural contingency world remains remains as relevant
today just as ever; even as much as the potential of Lukács's search for a project for a
revolutionary solution has fallen into disrepute. Exploring the potential of the concept of form
in its current contemporary relevance is therefore the intention of thise volume. As we see it,
yThe thesis is thatoung Lukács's thinking, takes place which emerged betweenat a productive
intersection between formal aesthetics and social philosophy, and our thesis is that this
thinking arose out of a consciousness of crisis that which was virulent widespread in central
Europe around 1900., Moreover, this thinking can unfold retains its theoretical-critical power
today, , again, in times of when conditions of permanent crisis are now often regarded to be
permanent. Lukács, triggered by the disappearance of socio-cultural self-evidence,
transformed the aesthetic concept of form into an ethically burdened formal problem that
permeates his entire oeuvre: starting with his discussion of literary forms, through to the
forms of life, and thereby later that correlatinges with them aesthetic achievement to with the Formatted: English (United Kingdom)
possibilities radical imaginaries of a comprehensive designrational social order. Seen this Formatted: English (United Kingdom)
way, even his Marxist turn to totality could become an object of formal criticism. But the Our Formatted: English (United Kingdom)
main guiding question, however, is whether the concept of form, marked by Lukács as a Formatted: English (United Kingdom)
cultural and ethical problem, can may find itsoffer an adequate theoretical framework today,
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in which can illuminate the the face of the renewal ofal of cultural struggles and the ongoing
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the proclamations of a crisis of liberalism.
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Invited We invite are contributions which respond to the following questions:
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1. What significance do literature and art have for socio-philosophical criticism?, aAnd to Formatted ...
what extent do they function as a connoisseur sounding board of for the role emergence and
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play of of forms or play within a society? Here wWe are refer here thinking of to Lukács's
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early sociology of literary forms, its rebound the influence of to Simmel, as well as its further
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later development s by others (for example in Franco Moretti's Signs Taken for Wonders,
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Zygmunt Bauman's Praise of Literature or in the valorizationvalorisation of art by Niklas
Luhmann as the a actual social place system throughfor the unfolding of which abstract the Formatted ...
formal problemformal problems are made perceptible). Formatted ...
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2. What relevance can the problem of form, as anchored situatedby Lukács between
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aesthetics and social philosophy, claim today in regard to anfor an ethic of individual life?
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Here we are refer to thinking of Lukács' own discussions of life forms of life, as well as to the
work of the Budapest School, and forms andto of the peculiarity of the aesthetic in the context Formatted ...

of recent works such as The invention of creativity by Andreas Reckwitz, Critique of Forms of Formatted ...
Life Kritik von Lebenformen by Rahel Jaeggi and/or the ethically driven manifesto The Art of Formatted ...
Life by Zygmunt Bauman are desirable. Formatted ...
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We would ask that you to signal interest by sending an abstract by the 30th of January 2019.
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Contributions (German or English) must be submitted by 30 June 2019 and should comprise
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of between 15 to a maximum of and 20 typed pages (or 50 000 characters including
footnotes). Formatted ...
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If you have any questions, please contact: Formatted ...

Christine Magerski (University of Zagreb): cmagerski(at)ffzg.hr Formatted ...

Andrew Simon Gilbert (La Trobe University, Melbourne): a.gilbert (at) latrobe.edu.au Formatted ...
Commented [AG2]: Seems an obvious connection to me
We are looking forward to your contributions! Formatted ...
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