Foucault's Aesthetics of Existence and Shusterman's Somaesthetics: Ethics, Politics, and the Art of Living

(Hardback)

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Bringing together Michel Foucaults aesthetics of existence and Richard Shustermans 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 Foucaults and Shustermans philosophies. Building on the interdisciplinary character of somaesthetics and aesthetics of experience, beyond a narrow focus on art and beauty, international scholars explore these ideas through a wide range of topics ranging from care for the social self to the ethical challenge posed by white ignorance. 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, Foucault's Aesthetics of Existence and Shusterman's Somaesthetics reveals not only how Foucaults philosophy has played an important role in Shustermans work, but also how recent developments in somaesthetics and somapower present a complement or, for some, an alternative to Foucaults notions of biopower and biopolitics.

Author Bio

Valentina Antoniol is Postdoctoral Scholar of Political Philosophy at the University of Bologna, Italy. Her main research interests and research fields are political philosophy, political theory, contemporary french philosophy, and continental philosophy 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.