It has been suggested that, “[i]t is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism.” What role can art play in anti-capitalist struggle today? If the practice of art was once thought of as a realm free from the alienation of the capitalist economy, does the growing influence of the art market strip artistic practice of its revolutionary potential? Or does it situate it precisely at the center of a struggle to discover new ways of practicing towards capitalism’s end? This course will introduce students to two ways of addressing these questions: exploring different ideas about capitalism and the way capitalist critique has theorized art at various points throughout the twentieth century, and examining the work of artist who situate their practice as part of an anti-capitalist struggle. Readings will include a range of work from Karl Marx to Fred Moten, Fredric Jameson to Sianne Ngai – and we’ll consider artistic movements across the 20th century that participates in the struggle for liberation in multiple ways, from social realism to more contemporary practices at the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability. As an evolving relation between theory and practice, students will be invited to think deeply about the conditions of cultural production under which we live today. This upper-level course is restricted to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This course can satisfy a Visual Studies elective requirement or an Arts program LINA (Interdisciplinary Arts) requirement. 

It has been suggested that, “[i]t is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism.” What role can art play in anti-capitalist struggle today? If the practice of art was once thought of as a realm free from the alienation of the capitalist economy, does the growing influence of the art market strip artistic practice of its revolutionary potential? Or does it situate it precisely at the center of a struggle to discover new ways of practicing towards capitalism’s end? This course will introduce students to two ways of addressing these questions: exploring different ideas about capitalism and the way capitalist critique has theorized art at various points throughout the twentieth century, and examining the work of artist who situate their practice as part of an anti-capitalist struggle. Readings will include a range of work from Karl Marx to Fred Moten, Fredric Jameson to Sianne Ngai – and we’ll consider artistic movements across the 20th century that participates in the struggle for liberation in multiple ways, from social realism to more contemporary practices at the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability. As an evolving relation between theory and practice, students will be invited to think deeply about the conditions of cultural production under which we live today. This upper-level course is restricted to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This course can satisfy a Visual Studies elective requirement or an Arts program LINA (Interdisciplinary Arts) requirement. 

It has been suggested that, “[i]t is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism.” What role can art play in anti-capitalist struggle today? If the practice of art was once thought of as a realm free from the alienation of the capitalist economy, does the growing influence of the art market strip artistic practice of its revolutionary potential? Or does it situate it precisely at the center of a struggle to discover new ways of practicing towards capitalism’s end? This course will introduce students to two ways of addressing these questions: exploring different ideas about capitalism and the way capitalist critique has theorized art at various points throughout the twentieth century, and examining the work of artist who situate their practice as part of an anti-capitalist struggle. Readings will include a range of work from Karl Marx to Fred Moten, Fredric Jameson to Sianne Ngai – and we’ll consider artistic movements across the 20th century that participates in the struggle for liberation in multiple ways, from social realism to more contemporary practices at the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability. As an evolving relation between theory and practice, students will be invited to think deeply about the conditions of cultural production under which we live today. This upper-level course is restricted to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. This course can satisfy a Visual Studies elective requirement or an Arts program LINA (Interdisciplinary Arts) requirement.