Political Memory and the Aesthetics of Care: The Art of Complicity and Resistance

Mihaela Mihai's book explores how societies remember histories of systemic violence, who is excluded from these histories, and the political costs of selective remembering. She argues that a double erasure often structures hegemonic narratives of complex violence and suggests that critical artists can disrupt this reductionism through practices of mnemonic care. The book examines consecrated and marginalized artists who tackled the memory of Vichy France, communist Romania, and apartheid South Africa, highlighting the political impact of dissenting artistic production.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 11 January 2022
Publisher: Stanford University Press

Political theorist Mihaela Mihai delves into a complex and multifaceted exploration of the remembrance of systemic violence in societies. Through her nuanced and interdisciplinary approach, she addresses a range of interconnected questions, including how societies remember histories of violence, who is excluded from these narratives, and the political consequences of selective remembering in the present.

Drawing upon insights from political theory, social epistemology, feminist and critical race theory, Mihai argues that dominant narratives of complex violence often perpetuate a double erasure. This erasure involves portraying widespread, heterogeneous complicity and impure resistances as easily subsumed to exceptionalist heroic models. In response, she engages in a dialogue with care ethicists and philosophers of art, proposing that practices of mnemonic care can disrupt narrative reductionism. These practices involve the hermeneutical labor that critical artists undertake within communities, shaping the space of meaning and challenging dominant narratives.

Empirically, the book examines the work of consecrated and marginalized artists who have addressed the memory of Vichy France, communist Romania, and apartheid South Africa. Despite their distinct contexts, these cases offer valuable opportunities to analyze similar mnemonic dynamics and recognize the political impact of dissenting artistic production.

By crossing disciplinary boundaries, the book intervenes in ongoing debates within political theory, memory studies, social epistemology, and transitional justice. It explores collective responsibility, historical injustice, and the aesthetics of violence, challenging established frameworks and offering new insights into the complex processes of remembering and forgetting.

Through her profound analysis, Mihai contributes to our understanding of the political dimensions of memory and the role of art in shaping narratives of violence and injustice. Her work encourages us to critically examine the ways in which societies remember and forget, and to advocate for more inclusive and nuanced approaches to addressing historical trauma and promoting social change.

Weight: 478g
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503630123