Lyotard and Critical Practice
Lyotard and Critical Practice by Kiff Bamford, published by Bloomsbury Academic on September 22, 2022, is a thought-provoking exploration of the ideas of Jean-François Lyotard, a significant figure in 20th-century philosophy. This edition, comprising 248 pages, delves into the challenges facing the humanities today, particularly in the context of prevailing economic narratives that undervalue creative disciplines. The book presents a collection of twelve essays by various artists and researchers who engage with Lyotard’s concepts, aiming to redefine critical practices in contemporary settings.
Readers will find discussions that address a range of contemporary issues, including aesthetics, pedagogy, and the implications of economic imperatives. The essays are organized into three sections: “What resists thinking,” “Long views and distances,” and “Why art practice?” Additionally, the book features four short pieces by Lyotard, including previously unpublished works, which enrich the discourse on critical practice and highlight his insights into the complexities of articulation and representation. This edition serves as a significant contribution to the fields of philosophy and critical theory, inviting reflection on the role of the humanities in today’s society.
Official synopsis Publisher
Jean-François Lyotard (1924-1998) was one of the previous century’s most provocative thinkers. Can his work help us address the crisis currently facing the humanities?
The dominant economic discourse sees the humanities as “low-value,” an irritation at best. Lyotard helps us to think against this pervasive dismissal of creative activity, not by defending the honor of the humanities, but by inviting critical practices which aggravate this irritation. Critical practices trouble what counts as critique, embrace incertitude, and listen for silenced voices.
Twelve essays by artists and researchers take up Lyotard’s invitation and begin to develop the idea of critical practice in the contemporary context. Three sections titled “What resists thinking;” “Long views and distances” and “Why art practice?” address contemporary concerns like affectivity, aesthetics, economic imperatives, militarism, pedagogy, posthumanism, and the closure of what in Lyotard’s time was called “the West.”
Four short pieces by Lyotard intervene in and buttress the discussion: “Apathy in Theory” and “Interview with Art Présent,” here published in English for the first time, and “Affect-phrase” and “The Other’s Rights” republished here to highlight his prescient concern for that which cannot be articulated.
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