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(Portions of an article originally published in Public Culture, 1997, 10, 1, fall, 24-60.).

"In light of Emil Walter-Busch's (1996) seminal Organisationstheorien von Weber bis Weick, we investigate how Weick's dealing with the process, cause and style of theorizing transformed the coordinates of our academic discipline into a post-Weickian form of organization theory. We delineate how Weick's theorizing artistically probed and shifted the existing limits of the mainstream way of theorizing by emphasizing the aesthetic side of theorizing. Furthermore, we connect Weick's poetic understanding of theorizing with the controversial emergence of a postmodern view an organizational theory and its claim that theorizing cannot be stripped off its political implications. Claiming that organization theory today is still characterized by an illustrious, elitist group that enforces order by categorizing, structuring and coding our academic territory, we stage a plea for a minor organizational theorizing, which might be achieved by allowing for dissensus, so as to enable the expression and phrasing of the conflicts within and between discursive regimes. By making way for modes of enunciation that re-connect the aesthetical and the political, we might engender new epistemes and imaginative ways for representing the notoriously silent and silenced of organization theory." (author's abstract)

The author of this chapter critiques Oakeshott's view of aesthetics as inconsistent, & despite his focus on the need for playfulness & " 'useless activity" for participation in the conversation of mankind, reveals his true nature as a linguistic realist. Oakeshott's evolution through his early writing on modes ("Experience and its Modes, The Voice of Poetry") leads to the conclusion that, for him, there is no single formula for the aesthetic. Poetry remains ambiguous, paradoxical & (like conversation), plural, yet works to signify or symbolize things in a reasonably objective manner. Although Oakeshott does have some postmodern affiliations, in the arena of declarative discourse he is a linguistic realist. The practical modes of science, history & practice are safe from his demand for nonsymbolic language. The idea that words themselves are unstable would be absurd, & a postmodern view of ordinary language as fiction (Derrida) would be accused of irrelevance. 14 References. J. Harwell

Presents a detailed reconstruction of Theodor Adorno's aesthetic theory which, although still a work-in-progress at the time of his death in 1969, is the most decisive work of 20th-century philosophical aesthetics. A discussion of philosophical aesthetics as a theory of reason is followed by an examination of the insignificance of aesthetics for traditional Marxism; positive & negative aspects of the autonomy of art; & the nature of rationalized reason. Special attention is given to Adorno's attempt to demonstrate that the practices of modern art implicitly promote conceptions of knowing, reasoning, & acting that differ from rationalized versions of the same that have become hegemonic in the world beyond art. Adorno's claim that each authentic work of art contains a truth-content in relation to such things as nature, society, ideology, or philosophy is addressed. However, since artworks perform rather than elaborate, Adorno felt artworks require philosophical elaboration It is maintained that the relation between art & philosophy in Adorno's aesthetic can be seen as "analogous to the relation between concept & intuition in Kantian philosophy.". J. Lindroth

Draws on Michel Foucault's later writings about aesthetics of existence to rebut claims by Jurgen Habermas that Foucault's self-defeating theory of power implies he had no particular political view. Foucault's aesthetics of existence indicates a representation of existence without recourse to moral codes or epistemological norms, ie, an ethical fabrication of existence based on a self-imposed moral code. His support for a critical ethos is argued to demonstrate a commitment to freedom & justice associated with particular practices of government. An aesthetic of existence does not necessarily imply a self-indulgent existence because it includes elements invoking concern with how one governs oneself & others, thereby fostering an individual's capacities of critical reflection on government. The aesthetics of existence is described as a constructivist or network conception of rights focused on individual or group prerogatives to resist a government they find intolerable. Foucault's personal relation to the politics of the time is discussed, maintaining that it was consistent with his ideas about aesthetic morality. 42 References. J. Lindroth

An exploration of the relationship of Critical Theory to poststructuralism focuses on the work of Jurgen Habermas & Michel Foucault. Consideration is given to presuppositions of normative validity underlying Habermas's theory of communicative action & the antifoundationalism of poststructuralism. While Habermas argued for retention of the Enlightenment legacy of reason, poststructuralist thinkers rejected the principles of universalism & consensus formation. The evolution of Habermas's vindication of political modernity is traced & his attempt to base his theory of society on a communicative conception of rationality is explored, along with Foucault's turn to an "ethical aesthetics" as a possible solution to problematic aspects of modernity. A description of Habermas's analysis of political & aesthetic modernity is followed by an examination of Foucault's response, & his attempt to form a "new critical ethos that might help actualize the inherent reserve of the Enlightenment." While avoiding a universalist normative philosophy, Foucault recognized a possible rapprochement between early Critical Theory by merging his "quasi-Kantian critique aimed at rehabilitating the lost reserve of the Enlightenment with an aesthetic ethics of self-cultivation.". J. Lindroth

This chapter investigates the relationship between physical space and processes of creative thinking and action. The authors build on organizational and sociological literature about social space and aesthetics, then illustrate how the latter two aspects influenced each other in five action experiments. Small mixed groups explored how they would use a studio to facilitate social innovation and to strengthen the link between the Max Stern Jezreel Valley College in Israel and the surrounding communities. Analysis of the video recordings identified seven configurations of social space that changed over time as the participants engaged in the task. The authors suggest that the undifferentiated and unencrusted nature of the space was both a source of uncertainty and potential for the participants. Some groups generated more innovative processes and products than others. The study also offers insights into the importance of embodied action and verbal discourse in innovative processes.

The question whether the undocumented migrant can have a face in film is at first glance not a question of aesthetics. It is their social and legal condition, not aesthetics, which prevent undocumented migrants from showing their face. But the question becomes more complex if we take into account, that films are a part of the migration regime. It works like a vicious circle: The migration regime forces undocumented migrants to conceal their face. But the image of a face not only helps to identify and trace a specific person, it also helps the spectator to identify with the person's needs and feelings, to recognize a person's condition as a human being. Therefore to protect the migrant's identity at the same time can easily produce a de-humanizing discriminatory effect on the migrant that strengthens the hostile perception of and policies against undocumented migrants. From this point of view, the aesthetic question how a film shows or does not show the faces of undocumented migrants is a highly political issue and the filmmakers' ethical responsibility.
In the article we identify different strategies of visual representation of undocumented migrants in (independent) documentary films that go beyond the black-barred face that makes them appear as criminals. We consider these alternative aesthetic strategies an important contribution to antiracist and pro-immigrant struggles. Nevertheless, the line between policing and criminalizing modes of representation and more empowering and appreciating ways can be a thin one.

Although H. G. Adler wrote extensively on the Holocaust, his voice has been excluded from the discussion of the Holocaust following Adorno's pessimistic analysis. The reasons for this exclusion lie in Adler's aesthetics, ethics, & method, examined here based on his biography, his works, the Adorno-Adler correspondence, & the way in which scholars treat other voices in their books on the topic. Against Adorno's fallacy of negativism, Adler argued for the sovereignty of ethical values, human rights, & democracy. His poetry during his time in the concentration camps shifted to an inner perspective & a protest against inhumanity. His method in examining the Holocaust -- scholarly documentation, an objective style, intellectual analysis, & an ethical viewpoint -- was highly unfashionable in British & American sociology at the time. Adler's novels Eine Reise ([A Journey] 1962), Panorama (1968) & Die unsichtbare Wand ([The Invisible Wall] 1989), all representing Auschwitz but with complementary methods, are discussed. M. Pflum

An exploration of the complex relationship between Walter Benjamin & Theodor Adorno points out both similarities & dissimilarities in their thinking. It is contended that Benjamin's unique form of Kantianism, which is critical of Kant's narrow conception of experience, is the most important element of his thought & the key to his Marxism. Although Adorno did not see Benjamin's early ideas as incompatible with Marxism, he did not agree with Benjamin's attempt to bring the two together. Special attention is given to Adorno's passionate engagement with Benjamin's The Arcades Project (Passagenwerk). Other matters discussed include the kind of theory that Adorno advocated; his attitude toward idealist aesthetics; significant differences between Adorno's & Benjamin's answers to the problem of the identity of cultures in their apparent diversity; & the two men's contrasting understandings of Benjamin's concept of the aura. It is concluded that, in spite of the personal relationship between Benjamin & Adorno, there was significant intellectual disagreement between them which Adorno was unaware of either at the time or later. J. Lindroth

The social function of narratives, particularly in their view of the self & the individual's relationship to society, is discussed, focusing on the way that they help integrate bodies, identities, & societies via an "iconic social representation of moral action." A metaphor of narrative is advanced as a way of understanding bodies & selves & how they are shaped by social & historical processes. Focusing on the Western world, the evolution of the early Protestant body/self as it emerged from the Catholicism of the Middle Ages & was transmogrified into modern individualism is traced. Then, the emergence of the postmodern body/self is described, highlighting the centrality of the mass media in its formation & socialization. The postmodern "aestheticization" of production & consumption & the relationship between aesthetics, the body/self, & economics under global capitalism are examined. Postmodern, poststructuralist, & narrative perspectives on the body/self are compared, & the political & moral challenges of self-narration in a commodified culture are considered. 128 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Proposes a relationship between science & technology similar to that between poetry & narrative, & examines both poetry & science in this context. It is argued that precise language & reasoning are not necessarily the most productive means of expressing the truth; in fact, the diversity, symbolism, & simplification characterized by the poetic form of discourse can often represent ideas & opinions more clearly. The advance of printing technology in the 1880s created a surplus of printed material that needed to be organized, & this need gave rise to literary genres & a canon. Further, strong & weak literary categories are a product of historical criticism, which has tended to favor certain types of writing & writers. A similar but less documented process influenced modern science, & it is argued that both politics & aesthetics affect the sciences. Whereas great literature has been defined as a complex fulfillment & violation of expectations, science has almost universally pursued the fulfillment of expectations. It is concluded that science must aspire toward the constant shifting of goals & languages achieved by poetry, & that this multidimensional & conflicting approach will catalyze a new era of scientific understanding. 17 References. T. Sevier