RE: CFP "In Search of Adorno's Legacy: Theory in Practice"

[Peter Zazzali]

Workshop Title: In Search of Adorno’s Legacy in Performance Theory and Practice 

Dear Colleagues:

Greetings.  My name is Peter Zazzali and I am a recent member of the Adorno discussion group.  In addition to introducing myself, I wanted to invite you all to submit an abstract for a conference working group that I am convening entitled "In Search of Adorno's Legacy in Performance Theory and Practice."  The  session is part of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas' conference this summer in Portugal.  I have included a description of the WG below, as well as a link to the conference's website.  Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions at [e-mail].

I look forward to interacting with you all during the year ahead.

Cheers,

Peter Zazzali

Chairs: Peter Zazzali, University of Kansas, USA 
and David Garfinkle, MacEwan University, Canada 
  
Theodor W. Adorno is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s premiere thinkers in the areas of cultural criticism, aesthetic theory, philosophy, Marxism, and the sociology of culture, among others.  A trained musician, his scholarship demonstrates an unusual balance of intellectualism and artistry, a combination that distinguishes his work from many other theorists.  Whether addressing the so-called “culture industry’s” commodified degradation of art or applying a dialectical analysis to defend modernism, Adorno can be seen as a pioneer in the reciprocal critique of art and society.  

Is his work, however, relevant today?  Moreover, what does it mean for performance scholars and practitioners?  Many respected theorists have dismissed Adorno as an elitist whose attacks on popular culture constitute an oversimplified argument arrogantly and negatively condemning the consumption of artistic goods.  A smaller chorus of supporters, such as J.M. Bernstein and Martin Jay, has posited his work as a nuanced and prescient critique of aesthetics in the context of capitalism.  In keeping with ISSEI’s conference theme for 2014, this workshop will explore the “Past, Present, and Future” of Adorno’s cultural criticism, with particular attention given to its relevance for performance.  This working session therefore welcomes paper submissions that use Adorno’s oeuvre to address matters that could include—but are not limited to—topics such as the relationship between art and society, global capitalism’s impact on cultural production, the role of performance in the context of the culture industry, the distinctions between modernism and postmodernism, and numerous other possible subjects.  

Prospective contributors should submit a paper abstract of no more than 500 words to Dr. Peter Zazzali [e-mail] by 31 January 2014.  
 

CONFERENCE WEBSITE: 

http://issei2014.com/Zazzali_Garfinkle.html

[Felix de Villiers]

Will Daddario has told me that he hasn't added much to this theme for some time.I have started a new discussion, Theodor Adorno, I would like to reply to the people who reject Adorno but it maybe better fro me now to do it in my new discussion. I have been studying some his opponents. Go there for my reply to this subject