Art, philosophy and sociology

In addition to books on theatre, dance and the performing arts, the library's collection includes subjects that influence and can inspire the world of theatre.  

Philosophy is about truth, understanding and reason. Art is about beauty, intuition and feeling. Today, these boundaries are reversing and shifting. Thinking about art is making way for thinking about the artist. For centuries, philosophers have been pondering questions of personal identity. 

Think, for example, of books such as Performance Philosophy (new insights into the fundamental question of how thinking happens and descriptions of performance), Filosofen over het belang van Kunst (about the fact that art cannot stand alone, but has to do with ideas about truth and rationality, justice and religion, among others) and Kijken, proeven, denken : essays over kunst, kritiek en filosofie(the work of art is often presented as a passive object, but has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of art, for art criticism and for the relationship between art and philosophy).   

What are we talking about when we talk about identity? On the basis of what identity is not, the book Wat onze identiteit niet is argues for a more flexible definition. It abandons the one-dimensional and polarising interpretation of the concept, without minimising the importance of identity, including national identity.
In Het Nieuwe Westen, you read about a struggle for the social representation of the West (from #Me Too feminists, Black Lives Matter activists). Where does the need for recognition come from? How does polarisation differ from politics? Hans Boutellier investigates this fascinating struggle and looks for the new West in terms of reciprocity and an inspired belief in the democratic rule of law.

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