Kojin Karatani Bücher

Kōjin Karatani (geboren 1941 in Amagasaki, Japan) ist einer der bedeutendsten japanischen Literaturkritiker und Philosophen der Gegenwart. Er studierte Wirtschaftswissenschaften und Anglistik an der Tōkyō Universität und lehrte bis 2006 Literaturwissenschaft in Japan und den USA. Karatani war Mitherausgeber der einflussreichen intellektuellen Zeitschrift Hihyō kukan (Critical Space) und organisierte das „New Associationist Movement“ (NAM), das eine praktische Alternative zur kapitalistischen Wirtschaft erprobte. Zu seinen wichtigsten Veröffentlichungen gehören Ursprünge der modernen japanischen Literatur (japanisch 1980, deutsch 1996) und Architecture as Metaphor (japanisch 1983, englisch 1995). Seit einiger Zeit konzentriert sich Karatani verstärkt auf die Kritik des globalen Kapitalismus. In diesem Zusammenhang sind Transcritique: On Kant and Marx (japanisch 2001, englisch 2003) und The Structure of World History (japanisch 2010) erschienen. Auf der Suche nach der Weltrepublik verbindet die wesentlichen Ideen dieser beiden Werke und führt in das Denken des Philosophen ein.

"Nation and Aesthetics" explores the intrinsic links between nationalism and aesthetics across art, language, and religion. It reveals how the nation intertwines with capitalism and the state, shaping the complex modern social structure of capital-nation-state.

Seeks to understand both Capital-Nation-State, the interlocking system that is the dominant form of modern global society, and the possibilities for superseding it.

Karatani Kojin is one of Japan's leading critics. In his work as a theoretician, he has described Modernity as have few others; he has re-evaluated the literature of the entire Meiji period and beyond. As one critic has said, Karatani's thought "has had a profound effect on the way we formulate the questions we ask about modern literature and culture ... [his] argument is compelling, moving even, and in the end the reader comes away with a different understanding not only of modern Japanese literature but of modern Japan itself." Among the many authors discussed are Soseki Natsume, Doppo Kunikida, Katai Tayama, and Shoyo Tsubouchi.

Originally published in 1974, Kojin Karatani's Marx- Towards the Centre of Possibility has been among his most enduring and pioneering works in critical theory. Written at a time when the political sequences of the New Left had collapsed into crisis and violence, with widespread political exhaustion for the competing sectarian visions of Marxism from 1968, Karatani's Marx laid the groundwork for a new reading, unfamiliar to the existing Marxist discourse in Japan at the time. Karatani's Marx takes on insights from semiotics, deconstruction, and the reading of Marx as a literary thinker, treating Capital as an intervention in philosophy that could be read as itself a theory of signs. Marx is unique in this sense, not only because of its importance in post-'68 Japanese thought, but also because the heterodox reading of Marx that Karatani debuts in this text, centred on his theory of the value-form, will go on to form the basis of his globally influential work.

A genuine Copernican turn in Kantian and Marxist theory and practice.

Classic study of Marx by Japan's leading critical theoristOriginally published in 1974, Kojin Karatani's Towards the Centre of Possibility has been amongst his most enduring and pioneering works in critical theory. Written at a time when the political sequences of the New Left had collapsed into crisis and violence, with widespread political exhaustion for the competing sectarian visions of Marxism from 1968, Karatani's Marx laid the groundwork for a new reading, unfamiliar to the existing Marxist discourse in Japan at the time.Karatani's Marx takes on insights from semiotics, deconstruction, and the reading of Marx as a literary thinker, treating Capital as an intervention in philosophy that could be read as itself a theory of signs. Marx is unique in this sense, not only because of its importance in post-68 Japanese thought, but also because the heterodox reading of Marx that Karatani debuts in this text, centered on his theory of the value-form, will go on to form the basis of his globally-influential work.

In Architecture as Metaphor, Kojin Karatani detects a recurrent will to architecture that he argues is the foundation of all Western thinking, traversing architecture, philosophy, literature, linguistics, city planning, anthropology, political economics, psychoanalysis, and mathematics.

Kojin Karatani's work offers a fresh perspective by intertwining the philosophies of Kant and Marx, presenting a transcritical analysis that uncovers ethical dimensions within socialism and critiques of money. He interprets Kant as a philosopher aiming to reclaim metaphysics for ethics and praxis, while proposing a reinterpretation of Marx that seeks to free Marxism from traditional constraints. This approach aims to establish a foundation for positive activism that can transcend the interconnected systems of Capital, Nation, and State.

The book expands on Rainer Ganahl's public project, which involved six reading seminars held across different countries from 1993 to 1996. Each seminar featured distinct bibliographies, emphasizing the theme of reinventing the coffee table through curated selections of 25 books. This work serves as a reflection on the seminars and their cultural impact, offering insights into the intersection of art, literature, and public engagement.