Introduction

Abstract

The introduction outlines the general goals of the book and the ways in which the concept of aesthetic autonomy has evolved over the course of the modern period, drawing particular attention to its complex linkage with concepts of political transformation. It focuses in particular on the specific evolution of the aesthetic in art criticism and theory over the past thirty years in relationship to the parallel emergence of new forms of socially engaged art practice, which challenge many of the founding assumptions of conventional aesthetic autonomy. The introduction also includes summaries of each chapter, along with an overview of the broader historical argument that is presented in The Sovereign Self, a companion volume to Beyond the Sovereign Self.