A Political Economy of the Senses: Neoliberalism, Reification, Critique (New Directions in Critical Theory Book 2)

Anita Chari revives the concept of reification from Marx and the Frankfurt School to spotlight the resistance to neoliberal capitalism now forming at the level of political economy and at the more sensate, experiential level of subjective transformation. Reading art by Oliver Ressler, Zanny Begg, Claire Fontaine, Jason Lazarus, and Mika Rottenberg, as well as the politics of Occupy Wall Street, Chari identifies practices through which artists and activists have challenged neoliberalism's social and political logics, exposing its inherent tensions and contradictions. Table of Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction: Toward the Materialization of Critique 16 Part I. Neoliberal Symptoms 30 1. Neoliberal Symptoms: The Impasse Between Economics and Politics in Contemporary Political Theory 32 2. Neoliberalism and Normative Ambivalence: Third-Generation Critical Theory and the Fetish of Intersubjectivity 78 Part II. The Critique of Reification 104 3. Alienation and Depoliticization: Rejoining Radical Democracy with the Critique of Capitalism 106 4. Lukács’s Turn to a Political Economy of the Senses 126 5. The Reversibility of Reification: Adorno from the Aesthetic to the Social 157 Part III. A Political Economy of the Senses 178 6. Defetishizing Fetishes: Art and the Critique of Capital in Neoliberal Society 180 7. Occupy Wall Street: Challenging Neoliberal Reification 214 Notes 232 Bibliography 250 Index 266 Revives The Concept Of Reification From Marx And The Frankfurt School To Spotlight Resistance To Neoliberal Capitalism, Identifying Practices Used By Artists And Activists To Challenge Neoliberalism. Neoliberal Symptoms : The Impasse Between Economics And Politics In Contemporary Political Theory -- Neoliberalism And Normative Ambivalence : Third-generation Critical Theory And The Fetish Of Intersubjectivity -- Alienation And Depoliticization : Rejoining Radical Democracy With The Critique Of Capitalism -- Lukács's Turn To A Political Economy Of The Senses -- The Reversibility Of Reification : Adorno From The Aesthetic To The Social -- Defetishizing Fetishes : Art And The Critique Of Capital In Neoliberal Society -- Occupy Wall Street : Challenging Neoliberal Reification. Anita Chari. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Anita Chari revives the key concept of reification from Marx and the Frankfurt School to spotlight the resistance to neoliberal capitalism now forming at the level of political economy and the more sensate, experiential level of subjective transformation. Reading art by Oliver Ressler, Zanny Begg, Claire Fontaine, Jason Lazarus, and Mika Rottenberg, as well as the politics of Occupy Wall Street, Chari identifies practices through which artists and activists have challenged neoliberalism's social and political logics. By positioning the subject in uncomfortable or impossible locations of desire, practical orientation, and observation, such practices expose neoliberal capitalism's inherent tensions and contradictions."--Provided by publisher