Re 'absolutist, grandoise, totalizing divisions ' These are among today's boo words - along with binary, monolithic etc.
DA ----- Original Message ----- From: William Conger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Junking the Louvre? Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 07:07:59 -0700 (PDT) > There are/were distinguished scholars in America (and > elsewhere) who question, and reason, and think > intelligently about culture and its values. Happily, > they don't dive off a cliff and curse the world on > their way to the rocks below. They offer reasoned > views and don't make blanket condemnations. I'm > thinking of people like Jacques Barzun and Donald > Kuspit, for example. The tendency to make wholesale > and unreasoned judgments against "contemporary" art -- > as vague a term as can be uttered -- is nothing but > cultural racism. It has all the same features and > goals of racism that divides peoples by irrelevant and > indefinable attributes for the sake of power. > > Intellectual America is very sensitive to racism in > all forms and that's one reason why serious cultural > scholarship here turns away from totalizing judgments > and smug elitism. > > Good arguments and challenging debates examine new > art and much can be said for and against the most > provocative work. It is worthless to keep seeking > absolutist, grandoise, totalizing divisions between > good and bad, etc. It won't even lift an eyelid. As > the kids say, "Whaateverr!" > > WC > > > --- Chris Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Looking at his list of publications - it appears > > that Jean-Louis Harouel is a > > cultural historian -- so he's not just looking at > > French art history -- or at > > social history -- but a combination of both -- > > giving him the opportunity to > > step outside artworld ideology and ask a dangerous > > question like "why are > > these people are collecting rubbish?" > > > > > > Of course -- since he has not been vetted as an art > > expert -- he would never > > qualify to curate an exhibit. > > > > And who knows what his tastes are like. > > > > He's just a person who can identify trash as such -- > > and any janitor can do > > that. > > > > I wonder whether an academic who pursued a similar > > inquiry would have much of > > a career in America ? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > with an emphasis on cultural rather than just > > political issues. > > > __________________________________________________________ > > ___ No medical insurance? Click here to protect > > yourself and your family. > > > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2211/fc/Ioyw6ijmN8NXxhslyHaoZtgxJaopsU > > gnGHuZ7J6T8hBNPK8QC1e9Fa/
