The Widerspiegelungstheorie in Lukács asthetic thought

• Grant number: 25/06503-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - History of Philosophy
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Sérgio Repa
• Grantee: Tomás Pécora de Barros
• Supervisor: Patrick Eiden-Offe
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Center for Literary and Cultural Research Berlin, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/16781-6 - The Own World of Works of Art: Lukács between autonomy and social function of art in His Introduction to a Marxist Aesthetics, BP.IC

Abstract

This proposal for an internship abroad aims to investigate the characterization, developed by Lukács in Über die Besonderheit als Kategorie der Ästhetik, of works of art as an aesthetic reflection of reality. The conception according to which works of art are reflections of objective reality has generated intense debate due to its apparent tendency toward mechanicism, that is, the postulation of the necessity of empirical referentiality for all artistic creation. However, in the framework of our Scientific Initiation research, we have observed that Lukács' handling of the notion of ästhetische Widerspiegelung suggests the presence of important mediations that counter an accusation of determinism. For this reason, this internship will be dedicated to scrutinizing the philosophical density operative within Lukács' aesthetic thought, which permeates the complex presence of Widerspiegelungstheorie in it, focusing on its articulation with other aesthetic principles-among them, that of the full autonomy of the work of art. Since this topic has given rise to a fertile space for discussion among commentators on his work, we intend to engage in mapping and studying the critical debate, especially that conducted in the German language. Within this debate, we will pay particular attention to studies that have sought to trace the philosophical lines of influence behind Lukács' conception of reflection, especially in Lenin and, even more so, in Hegel.