CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: AESTHETIC CRITIQUE OF FASCISM AND HUMANIST EXPRESSION The editors are pleased to announce a call for abstracts for the upcoming issue of Problématique, York University's revived Political Science graduate journal. The upcoming issue will be dedicated to the aesthetic critique of Fascist politics and the expression of humanist political aesthetics. In Joseph and His Brothers, Thomas Mann articulates an aesthetic ambition to achieve a political objective, aiming to wrest the myth "out of Fascist hands." Responding to the rise of Fascism in Germany, Mann employs the richness of world literature, Egyptian mythology, as well as Jewish and Christian theology, to reclaim mythological thinking from its appropriation by reactionary political forces. His perilous journey into the origins—a journey backward that paradoxically propels the reader forward towards a "new humanism"—puts into sharp relief the fraught nature of constructing a myth of cosmopolitan humanity. In arrogating authority as an author of “new humanism”, Mann risks the deployment of the same means that allowed Fascism to capture the political imagination of his contemporaries. Yet, Mann’s literary expression of counter-Fascism was lauded by some critical theorists of the Frankfurt School who also sought to render art politically formative. The forthcoming issue of Problématique – Journal of Political Studies/Revue D'Études Politiques seeks to investigate aesthetic strategies to counter contemporary political forces that bear a resemblance to Fascism. Contributions will build upon diverse traditions compatible with the impulse of the Frankfurt School's critical theory, fusing literary and aesthetic criticism with a social and political critique of conditions that catalyze Fascist politics. The contradictions inherent to the modern state and capitalist economic society will be discerned in nationalist mythologies of primordial origins and colonial and imperial narratives. In countering these myths, contributors will interpret aesthetic expressions that resist these pernicious forces aesthetically, aiming at humanist and emancipatory politics. Contributors are encouraged to consider the following questions: * What are the methods and approaches of integrating the socio-political critique of Fascism with aesthetic criticism? How might the critique of formalism in art and political institutions be applied to the rise of Fascist politics? * How is the issue of “origins” exploited by political forces deemed Fascist, and how might the emancipatory “origins” of humanity be reclaimed in the aftermath of the fall of socialism and the persisting crisis of liberalism? * What role does modern literature play in expressing the maladies of modernity? Can the Cold War liberal rejection of Romanticism as a precursor to Fascism be itself dismissed to unlock romantic irony and expressionism as politically formative tools? Is aesthetic humanism at odds with the critique of political economy, or a complementary tool of such a critique? * What role does aesthetic authority play in our scholarly writings on politics and society? How does the reflexivity of authorial expression safeguard against turning the author into a spiritual leader, a destiny that befell thinkers like Nietzsche? How autopoiesis, a practice of “writing the self,” can reflect the inevitability of one’s partiality while advancing universal political interest? * How do artistic expressions within non-European political cultures draw on the resources of European aesthetic and critical theory? How do such expressions enhance the humanist tradition? What are the potential pathways to shape “new humanism,” either in line with Mann or broadly conceived, by blending aesthetic sources and comparative political theory? We welcome original research, as well as book reviews and artistic contributions. Your analysis does not need to be limited to a single region, aesthetic tradition, or field of study. Please include a brief description of your background, field of study, and institutional affiliation (if any) with your submission. Selected papers will be published in the academic journal Problématique – Journal of Political Studies/Revue D'Études Politiques, in association with the Political Science Department of York University (Canada). The deadline for abstracts is January 15, 2024. Review the submission guidelines: * Abstracts should not exceed 250 words. * Final papers should not exceed 25 pages (c. 6000 words) in English or French. We also accept book reviews of no more than 4-5 pages (c. 1000 words) in length, as well as political cartoons or photographs for our online journal. * Citations should adhere to the Chicago Style 17th edition. * Email your abstract to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Important dates: * Abstracts are due by January 15, 2024. * Decisions on abstracts will be made by January 30, 2024. * Full submissions are due by Mach 22, 2024, and will be subject to peer review. For further inquiries, contact the editorial collective at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> (cc: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>). Viktoriya Vinik, M.A. PhD Candidate Political Science [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> | laps.yorku.ca<https://laps.yorku.ca/> Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies York University Ross Building South, 6th Floor 4700 Keele Street Toronto ON, Canada M3J 1P3 [cid:3e1da63a-10d0-4750-a29c-babe7bc922eb] ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite https://screensite.org/