Siyu Yao

siyu.yao@uni-erfurt.de

Siyu Yao

Resonance in Marxist Aesthetics: Rosa and the Frankfurt School (PhD Project)

The focus of this project is Resonance Aesthetics, with a particular emphasis on the development of Hartmut Rosa's critical theory and its intrinsic ideological relationship with the Frankfurt School. The central question guiding this investigation is how the Frankfurt School constitutes a genealogy of inheritance or transformation regarding cultural mental dimensions. This project aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the existing contributions and problems of the Frankfurt School by exploring the aforementioned theoretical framework.

In terms of project strategy, the following three steps are considered. Firstly, while the first generation of the Frankfurt school within critical theory analyzed social alienation and pursued artistic redemption, they were prone to what has been termed "Aesthetic Utopia". The present study will contextualize Resonance within the theoretical lineage of the Frankfurt School, thereby ascertaining how Hartmut Rosa's theory connects with and differs from that of his predecessors and how he draws on Helmuth Plessner, Charles Taylor's philosophical anthropology, as a way of considering the limitations of former critical theory thinkers. Secondly, a more detailed analysis of the position and meanings of Resonance in aesthetics is required. For instance, the relationship between Nietzsche's Art Metaphysics and Vertical Axes of Resonance is yet to be explored. Additionally, the relationship between Resonance and "Empathy" or "Sympathy" in the dimension of Intersubjectivity is of interest. This conceptual genealogy will be examined, with particular attention to its relevance to the theories of Alfred Schütz and Merleau-Ponty. Finally, it is important to note that Resonance features in China's cultural traditions, such as Taoism's Heaven and Man Are United, and Confucianism's Harmony But Not Uniformity. In these meanings, further research is needed into Cultural Sociology and Empirical Analysis, to ascertain the adaptability of Resonance in China.

This project's methodological approach entails integrating the study of the History of Ideas (Begriffsgeschichte) and the Metaphorology Paradigms mianly established by Blumenberg. The project's primary focus is on synthesizing a macro-level Marxist theoretical vision with a historical context. This synthesis is further enriched by the integration of psychology, ethics, postmodern cultural theory, and associated domains. The integration of these diverse approaches is expected to facilitate a more profound investigation into the theoretical underpinnings of resonance, thereby offering a novel perspective on the subject. 

Selected articles

Yao, Si-yu(2024). Ethical Reflection on 'Evil' and In-aesthetic Construction of 'Truth' - Centered on Badiou's Nietzsche Interpretation. In: Wen yi ping lun[Literature and Art Critism], 24(03), 09-17.

Yao, Si-yu(2024).The Differend between "Modern" and "Postmodern": Revisiting Newman's Color-Field Paintings in the Perspective of Lyotard's Sublime Aesthetics. In: Journal of Art Theory&Art History, No.13,167-184.

Yao, Si-yu(2023). The “Eternal Recurrence” and Life Education: Final Purpose and Aesthetic Education Sigificance of Nietzsche’s Time Aesthetics. In: Mei yu xue kan[Journal of Aesthetic Education], 14(04), 46-55. 

Yao, Si-yu(2020). The “Human Being-Literature” Significance of Liu Xie's Theory of  “ShenSi”: Taking Kant's Theory of "Genius" as a Reference. In: Zhong wai wen lun[Journal of Chinese and Western Literary Theory],20(01),90-104.

 

Selected presentations:

The 1st New Humanities” Academic Forum, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, October 28,2023. Oral presentation, “Humanity, Divinity and Earthiness - Heidegger's Inheritance and Development of Nietzsche in Humanist Critique”.

The 10th International Forum on Marxist Aesthetics, “The sound of Aesthetics in the world: A conversation of Marxist Aesthetics”, Online, November 26-27,2022. Oral presentation, “Abstact Materiality and Specific Humanity:The Emotional Purpose of Lyotard's Sublime Theory and Newman's Abstract expressionist painting”.