Ethical Militancy

More about the book

Recent research has explored the relationship between politics and aesthetics, particularly the political power of aesthetics. This book argues for the significance of what precedes political decisions and actions, focusing on the in-between space of aesthetics, where production and reception intersect. This space, where aesthetics and ethics converge, challenges affirmations and beliefs, prompting the subject to reconsider their stance. By examining recent theatrical performances and workshops primarily in Athens, Greece, created by artists such as Nova Melancholia, Rimini Protokoll, Michael Marmarinos, and Theodoros Terzopoulos, the book investigates how ethical considerations emerge within aesthetic contexts. It tracks the transformations of the ethical and its manifestations in unsettling aesthetic situations, revealing hidden ethical paradigms. The text emphasizes how the position of the (ethico-political) subject is articulated in these contexts, arguing that entering the ethico-aesthetic space inevitably alters the subject. It posits that a catastrophe—a loss of the subject—is necessary to restore responsibility, honor the ethicality of time, and achieve justice. The book advocates for the emergence of the object, suggesting that this shift allows for a new and unfamiliar political discourse to emerge.