The Activism of Art: A Decentered Anthology - Paperback

by Stephen Duncombe (Author), Dipti Desai (Author)

A radical anthology shaking up the canon by bringing together perspectives on art and activism across eras and cultures.

Thinkers, activists, and artists have long grappled with definitions of art, the role of activism, and the relationship between the two-answers that shift across historical and cultural frameworks. This anthology challenges and expands the canon by deliberately juxtaposing radically different conceptions of art and activism, bringing together thinkers from different eras, cultures, and geographies.

Rather than including case studies or manifestos, the texts are organized thematically: Art Unsettles: Social Systems and Critique; Art Reveals: Making the Invisible Visible; Art Resists: Everyday Interventions; Art Acts: Activism as Art; Art (Re)Orders: Making Sense of the World; and Art Imagines: Envisioning New Worlds.

Through this thematic structure, the anthology seeks to expand and decenter traditional canons. Each thematic section opens with a brief essay by the editors framing the central conceptual debates, inviting readers to engage with the tensions and possibilities at the intersection of art and politics. Among the writers included are: Gloria Anzaldúuacute;a, John Berger, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Octavia Butler, John Dewey, W.E.B. Du Bois, Frantz Fanon, Safdar Hashmi, bell hooks, Juan Lóoacute;pez Intzíiacute;n, Audre Lorde, Herbert Marcuse, Jacques Rancièegrave;re, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o.

Author Biography

Dipti Desai is a Professor of Art and Art Education in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University where she teaches courses on socially engaged art practices and its politics, critical pedagogy, and artistic activism as radical research. Her praxis-based pedagogy requires students to engage directly with communities and public spaces to envision and enact art activist projects. She is the author of four books and numerous articles on the intersection between art, social justice, and pedagogy.

Stephen Duncombe is a Professor of Media and Culture in the Gallatin and Steinhardt Schools of New York University, where he teaches the history and politics of media and culture. He is the author and editor of ten books on the intersection of culture and politics, and the cofounder of The Center for Artistic Activism, a training and research organization dedicated to helping activists create more like artists and artists strategize more like activists.