Theories of Modernism. Politics of Time and Space
The author explores relations between different theories of modernism. He takes into consideration: (1) general concepts and theories of modernism; (2) theories of international modernism inherent to Western twentieth-century hegemonic modernism; (3) theories of the local (national and regional Western) modernism; (4) revisions of the concept of modernity in contemporary theories of globalization. These topics are considered, in a first step, via the philosophical distinction between a historical perspective (international modernism) and geographical perspective (global revision of modernism). The author then interprets aesthetic universalism and the concept of the autonomy of art characteristic of international modernism (Adorno, Greenberg, Argan). He points to the transformation of the hegemonic aesthetic universalism into national modernisms which are characteristic of local modernisms. He argues that the theories of global modernity carry out a critical discussion of Western modernism as the ideal model. This shows that universalist western modernism appears as one of many modernisms in relation to colonial/post-colonial societies and to socialist/post-socialist societies.