International Studies Compendium Project

Extract

Comment on this article   Artists – whether writers, painters, musicians, architects, sculptors, dramatists, dancers, or filmmakers – and artworks – whether poetry, literature, visual arts, solid forms, music, theater works, photography, or cinema – contribute to building peaceful, vibrant societies and can inspire relations among societies and between societies and nature that are characterized by appreciation and harmony. They have vital roles to play in addressing tyranny of all kinds. Presently, art is assigned to “re-enchant” the world. Many artists rely on their creative capacities to project ideas nurtured by intuition and imagination that may be unfittingly or narrowly engaged within the framework of scientific rationality, and even irrelevant to the notion of material progress, but which are nevertheless essential for the well being of society. Some people hold that all art is political in so far as it is controversial in its reflections and imitations of the human condition. But such generalities provide few insights into the subject at hand, which is the impact of art on international politics with reference to relations between peoples of different nations and life experiences, and to all humanity confronted by many critical challenges. These include threats to peace and security; widespread and massive violations of political, civil, social, and cultural rights; and ... log in or subscribe to read full text