Reconsidering the Life of Power: Ritual, Body, and Art in Critical Theory and Chinese Philosophy

Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Subjectivation
	Autonomy
	Ritual Propriety—Lĭ 礼
	Subjectality
	Technique in Appearance
	Somaesthetics
	Conclusion
Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Work: A Statement on Method
	Rhizomes, Embryos, and Growth in Between
	Intercultural Philosophy
	Growing the Rhizome
Chapter 1 Subjectivation/Subjection
	Preliminary Remarks: Butler on Subjectivation/Subjection
	Foucault’s Prison: Subjectivation in the Panopticon
	Hailed into Existence: Interpellation
	Misrecognition and Limited Freedom from Sign Chains
	Kantian Responses to Subjectivation/Subjection
	Kant on Purposiveness and the Artwork’s Negative Freedom
	Hegel on the Artisan and Recognition
	Nietzsche on the Artistically Creating Subject
	Art as Another “Other” and Novelty in Self-Recognition
	Conclusion
Chapter 2 Autonomy and Appearance in Artful Ritual Practice
	Preliminary Remarks: The Modern Alienation of Art and Practice in the Unhappy Artworld
	The Early Human World: The Historical Link between Art and Ritual Practice
	Arendt on Purposiveness, Appearance in the World, and Art
	Bringing Art and Novel Recognition into Play in Everyday Encounters
	Conclusion
Chapter 3 Confucianism and Lĭ 禮/礼: Ritual Propriety, Music, and the Arts
	Preliminary Remarks: The Relational, Discursive, Bodily, and Ritually Impelled Person in Confucianism
	A Background Vocabulary of Music in Reference to Ritual
	Ritual and Music in Confucianism
	Xún Zĭ 荀子 on Ritual Lĭ in Regard to Distinction and Difference
	Xún Zĭ on Ritual and Music
	Moving the Classical Confucian Framework of Ritual and Music Forward
	Conclusion
Chapter 4 Subjectality
	Preliminary Remarks: Collective Unconsciousness in Species-Level Subjectality and “Individual” Consciousness in Subjectivation
	Kant and the World Observer
	Arendt’s Remarks on Kant
	Lĭ Zéhòu and Kant
	Hannah Arendt and Lĭ Zéhòu on Kantian Purposiveness in Human Affairs
	Conclusion
Chapter 5 Technique in Appearance
	Preliminary Remarks: Apprehension, Appearance, and Concern
	Stiegler on Technique and Memory
	Reassessing Stiegler and Ritual Technique in Appearance
	Conclusion
Chapter 6 Somaesthetics
	Preliminary Remarks: Somaesthetics and Subjectivation
	Somaesthetics: Rethinking Bodily Cultivation
	Somaesthetic Practice: A Resource for Expanding Subject Life or Another Means of Control?
	Confucian Perspectives on the Development of Ritual Propriety: Inside or Outside of Human Nature?
	Mencius on Human Nature and Ritual
	Xún Zĭ on Human Nature
	Xún Zi’s Restricted Usefulness for Somaesthetics and the Potential Value of New Approaches to Mencius
	Assessing Somaesthetics with Regard to Mencius and Xún Zĭ
	Conclusion
Final Thoughts
	Changing the Stakes
	Conclusion
Notes
Index