Subject, Society and Culture (Published in association with Theory, Culture & Society)

`This is a highly original, indeed an extraordinary book, standing out among the conventional philosophical treatments of subjectivity and reaching beyond the conventional area of investigation. Boyne's feat is to find overlooked and unexplored angles which recast one of the perennial and ostensibly thoroughly familiar philosophical issues in a novel and fascinating light'- Zygmunt Bauman This book explores the relationships between visual culture, social theory and the individual. Visual culture has emerged as a central area of debate and research in contemporary sociology, yet the field is still underdefined. In particular, the relationship between visual culture and the individual remains obscure. Sociologists have insisted that all aspects of the individual are open to sociological explanation. The result is that the individual sometimes seems to have been theorized away from sociological understanding. Using a wide range of resources from Bourdieu's action theory and the contribution of actor network theory, through to the artistic explorations of Francis Bacon and Barnett Newman, this book shows how the concept of the individual is being reconstructed. Roy Boyne Explores The Relationships Between Visual Culture, Social Theory And The Individual And Argues That The Sociological Removal Of The Individual Subject Must Be Challenged. However, So Too Must Humanist Accounts Which Emphasize Only Struggles For Freedom And The Longing To Create. Individual Subjects Are Simultaneously Engaged And Disengaged. The Narration Of Their Actions And Contexts From Both Social And Existential Standpoints Is Crucial For Beginning To Understand The Human Condition. The Positive Critique Of The Two Most Important Currents In Sociological Thought Today, Bourdieu's Field Theory And Latour's Actor Network Theory, Is Supplemented By Examinations Of The Presentation Of The Subject In Both Art And Film. The Argument Of The Book, Developed Through Case Studies Of Barnett Newman, Georg Baselitz, Francis Bacon, Krzysztof Kieslowski And David Cronenberg, Is That The Highest Aspirations Of Both Social Science And The Humanities Are Served By Keeping Together The Social And Existential Moments Of The Individual Subject. This Book Will Be Essential Reading For Everyone Interested In Social Theory, Contemporary Art And Film Studies. It Will Also Be A Key Reference Point For Debates Between Sociology And Cultural Studies.--jacket. Roy Boyne. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [169]-175) And Index.

`This is a highly original, indeed an extraordinary book, standing out among the conventional philosophical treatments of subjectivity and reaching beyond the conventional area of investigation. Boyne's feat is to find overlooked and unexplored angles which recast one of the perennial and ostensibly thoroughly familiar philosophical issues in a novel and fascinating light' - Zygmunt Bauman

This book explores the relationships between visual culture, social theory and the individual. Visual culture has emerged as a central area of debate and research in contemporary sociology, yet the field is still underdefined. In particular, the relationship between visual culture and the individual remains obscure. Sociologists have insisted that all aspects of the individual are open to sociological explanation. The result is that the individual sometimes seems to have been theorized away from sociological understanding.

Using a wide range of resources from Bourdieu's action theory and the contribution of actor network theory, through to the artistic explorations of Francis Bacon and Barnett Newman, this book shows how the concept of the individual is being reconstructed.

Cover......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 6 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 9 PREFACE:THE FATE OF THE SUBJECT......Page 10 PART I - THE DENIAL OF THE SUBJECT IN SOCIOLOGY: INTRODUCTION......Page 14 1 BOURDIEU AND THE SOCIOLOGICAL TRADITION......Page 16 2 ACTOR NETWORK THEORY: THE PLACE OF THE SUBJECT WITHIN CONSTRUCTIONIST SOCIOLOGY......Page 35 PART II - KEEPING TO THE SUBJECT:SUBJECTIVITY IN MODERN ART - INTRODUCTION......Page 54 3 BARNETT NEWMAN: EXISTENTIALISM AND THE TRANSCENDENT SUBJECT......Page 59 4 GEORG BASELITZ: FRAGMENTED SUBJECTIVITY......Page 82 5 CARNALITY AND POWER: THE HUMAN SUBJECT IN THE WORK OF FRANCIS BACON......Page 110 PART III - LOCATING THE SUBJECT - INTRODUCTION......Page 136 6 KIESLOWSKI'S SUBJECTS ......Page 140 7 ONLY IN THE PRESENT: SUBJECTIVITY AND TIME......Page 161 IN CONCLUSION......Page 179 REFERENCES......Page 182 INDEX......Page 189 This volume explores the relationships between visual culture social theory and the individual. It shows how the concept of the individual is being reconstructed, and addresses the link between social theory, art and cinema and viewing individuals