Sensus Communis and the Possibility of Aesthetic Community

 Sensus Communis and the Possibility of Aesthetic Community

Is there such a thing as an aesthetic community? Could art be the origin around which a community is formed? What is the nature of such a community? This seminar examines the concept of aesthetic community from philosophical, artistic, and empirical perspectives. In today's political climate, imagined communities, as Benedick Anderson termed them, have transformed into populist hegemonic collectives centered around a leader. This seminar proposes the idea of an aesthetic community as a form of resistance—a collective that does not revolve around an imaginary, socially constructed homogeneous identity, but rather upholds plurality, as described by Arendt, or a 'singular plural,' as described by Nancy. Starting with Kant and the notion of sensus communis (common sense), moving through Rancière's Dissensus, and exploring Jean-Luc Nancy's Inoperative Community and more we will delve into the possibility of alternative political communities that are grounded in an aesthetic approach. Readings include Kant, Rousseau, Anderson, Arendt, Nancy, Ranciere, Agamben and more. 

 Sensus Communis and the Possibility of Aesthetic Community

Is there such a thing as an aesthetic community? Could art be the origin around which a community is formed? What is the nature of such a community? This seminar examines the concept of aesthetic community from philosophical, artistic, and empirical perspectives. In today's political climate, imagined communities, as Benedick Anderson termed them, have transformed into populist hegemonic collectives centered around a leader. This seminar proposes the idea of an aesthetic community as a form of resistance—a collective that does not revolve around an imaginary, socially constructed homogeneous identity, but rather upholds plurality, as described by Arendt, or a 'singular plural,' as described by Nancy. Starting with Kant and the notion of sensus communis (common sense), moving through Rancière's Dissensus, and exploring Jean-Luc Nancy's Inoperative Community and more we will delve into the possibility of alternative political communities that are grounded in an aesthetic approach. Readings include Kant, Rousseau, Anderson, Arendt, Nancy, Ranciere, Agamben and more.