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/ Richard Shusterman interviewed by Crispin Sartwell /
In the context of contemporary philosophy, Richard Shusterman occupies a singular position. As one of the most influential figures revitalizing and extending the pragmatist tradition into new domains of aesthetic, somatic, and intercultural inquiry, his work has not only reinvigorated longstanding concerns with embodiment, perception, and the art of living, but also expanded the disciplinary boundaries of philosophy into dialogue with performance, education, design, and popular culture. His contributions have opened new avenues of research across philosophy of mind, art theory, cultural studies, and global philosophy, establishing him as a central interlocutor in ongoing efforts to conceive philosophy as an embodied, critical, and transformative practice.
His most recent book, The Critical Shusterman – a collection of sixteen texts on decisive themes of his intellectual trajectory – prompted the following interview, which was conducted by the editor of the book, Crispin Sartwell, over a month of shared writing and reflection. Sartwell’s insightful questioning invites Shusterman to articulate the origins and implications of his philosophical commitments with rare candor. In a deeply personal and intimate tone, the conversation ranges over a wide variety of topics, from the formative experiences that shaped his early interest in aesthetics and the development of somaesthetics to the complex interplay of eros, embodiment, lived experience, and philosophical reflection; from his ambivalent relationship with modernism and postmodernism to his decisive shift from analytic philosophy to pragmatism; from his engagement with multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism, and the politics of cultural appropriation to his evolving reflections on Jewish identity, intercultural exchange, and the global reception of his work; from his critique of rigid gender binaries to his explorations of eroticism and performance art as later sprouts of somaesthetics.
How to cite:
Shusterman, Richard. “Confessions of The Critical Shusterman.” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 9, no. 3 (2025): 190-213. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2025.0030.
Author:
Richard Shusterman
Center for Body, Mind, and Culture, Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0467-9781
shuster1@fau.edu
Crispin Sartwell (Interviewer)
American Institute for Philosophical and Cultural Thought
411 N 9th St, Murphysboro, IL 62966, USA
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0649-8949
crispinsartwell@gmail.com
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