Encyclopedia of Aesthetics

The first reference of its kind, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics was originally published in 1998 in four volumes. Now revised and expanded to include over 800 entries, the Encyclopedia surveys the full breadth of critical thought on art, culture, and society, from classical philosophy to contemporary critical theory. Contributors as prominent as Arthur C. Danto and Gayatri Spivak provide analyses of the major philosophers and artists whose works have impacted Aesthetics; of theories and trends such as Conceptualism and Postcolonialism; and of concepts ranging from the abject to synaesthetia.

The field of Aesthetics is an evolving one, and as such the Encyclopedia has been updated and expanded, creating a six-volume second edition with enhanced or new coverage of international aesthetics, modern aesthetics, new media, and new fields of research such as geoaesthetics and neuroaesthetics. Featuring 815 articles by distinguished scholars from many fields and countries, the Encyclopedia is a comprehensive survey of major concepts, thinkers, and debates about the meaning, uses, and value of the arts -- from painting and sculpture to literature, music, theater, textiles, dance, television, film, and sound art. Of special interest are in-depth surveys of Western aesthetics and broad coverage of non-Western traditions (e.g., Buddhist and Sanskrit Aesthetics). Over 250 new entries have been added altogether, with the first edition's editor-in-chief, Professor Michael Kelly of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, overseeing the updates and expansion.

Michael Kelly is Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He previously taught at Columbia University, while the managing editor of the Journal of Philosophy, and was also Executive Director of the American Philosophical Association. Kelly is also the author of A Hunger for Aesthetics: Enacting the Demands of Art (Columbia University Press, 2012) and Iconoclasm in Aesthetics (Cambridge University Press, 2003).