A Study On Wilfried Van Damme's Theory In Aesthetic Anthropology

Nowadays,There exist many crises in the Chinese aesthetical research field. When facing western aesthetical theories,we can seldom hear the Chinese researchers who study in aesthetics speak in their own voices. How can Chinese aesthetics maintain its own specific characters? It is such an important problem that we are unable to evade. Aesthetic anthropology is a field of study where aesthetics and anthropology meet. Chinese researchers try to regard the study in aesthetic anthropology which is based upon their national culture as a way to the forward position in world aesthetics. At present,Chinese researchers mainly make a study of aesthetic anthropology's background,origins,the object and method outline. Some empirical research on Aesthetic cultural preference have been carrying out in Chinese southern regions. However,such a study of aesthetics is still in the beginning period. Continued empirical research is required,more methods to social practice is required. In my opinion,it's essential to study foreign aesthetic anthropology on the method of an anthropological approaching to the study of aesthetic preference.Wilfried Van Damme(1960-)a Netherlandish scholar,is the first person who makes a systematic study on aesthetic anthropology in the foreign countries. He has many publications about aesthetic anthropology. Beauty in Context-Towards an Anthropological Approach to Aesthetics which was published in 1996 records the basic theory in aesthetic anthropology completely. In this book,he gives a detail and dichotomous analyse on aesthetics and the impediments to its study in anthropology. He also points out three hallmarks of the anthropological approach - the empirical basis,the cross-cultural perspective and the contextual emphasis,and elaborates these general characteristics on the application of an anthropological approach to the study of aesthetic preference. What's more,he discusses many topics raised from aesthetic preference. Wilfried Van Damme's theory in aesthetic anthropology enlightens us. It is a valuable reference material for Chinese study in aesthetic anthropology.Facing the reality of the researches in Chinese aesthetic anthropology,I shall try to do in this thesis is just to provide a similar study of foreign countries as a reference. I hope Chinese researchers studying in aesthetic anthropology take from the long to add to the shorts.