Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in China
John Adams’s Nixon in China (1987) is one of the most iconic operatic works of the end of the 20th century. It is also an interesting case to study the relationship between aesthetics and politics. In this paper, I offer a reading of the political and aesthetic sides of the work in light of John Dew...
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University of Presov, Faculty of Arts
2025-07-01
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| Series: | ESPES |
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| Online Access: | https://espes.ff.unipo.sk/index.php/ESPES/article/view/371 |
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| author | Kalle Puolakka |
| author_facet | Kalle Puolakka |
| author_sort | Kalle Puolakka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | John Adams’s Nixon in China (1987) is one of the most iconic operatic works of the end of the 20th century. It is also an interesting case to study the relationship between aesthetics and politics. In this paper, I offer a reading of the political and aesthetic sides of the work in light of John Dewey’s philosophy. Central to my account is to examine the effect that Dewey’s own trip to China had on his political philosophy. I argue that Nixon is not just a series of anecdotes related to Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, as has been claimed by some critics, but that the Deweyan perspective I take particularly on Nixon‘s third act shows that the opera has genuine political substance, which is also tied to the work’s aesthetic features. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-261b23764caf41f39b90a2c244ca8da3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1339-1119 |
| language | ces |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | University of Presov, Faculty of Arts |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ESPES |
| spelling | doaj-art-261b23764caf41f39b90a2c244ca8da32025-08-20T03:33:52ZcesUniversity of Presov, Faculty of ArtsESPES1339-11192025-07-01141302Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in ChinaKalle Puolakka0University of HelsinkiJohn Adams’s Nixon in China (1987) is one of the most iconic operatic works of the end of the 20th century. It is also an interesting case to study the relationship between aesthetics and politics. In this paper, I offer a reading of the political and aesthetic sides of the work in light of John Dewey’s philosophy. Central to my account is to examine the effect that Dewey’s own trip to China had on his political philosophy. I argue that Nixon is not just a series of anecdotes related to Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, as has been claimed by some critics, but that the Deweyan perspective I take particularly on Nixon‘s third act shows that the opera has genuine political substance, which is also tied to the work’s aesthetic features.https://espes.ff.unipo.sk/index.php/ESPES/article/view/371adamsdeweyoperapoliticsaesthetics |
| spellingShingle | Kalle Puolakka Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in China ESPES adams dewey opera politics aesthetics |
| title | Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in China |
| title_full | Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in China |
| title_fullStr | Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in China |
| title_short | Internationalism Hits the Opera Stage: Nixon (and Dewey) in China |
| title_sort | internationalism hits the opera stage nixon and dewey in china |
| topic | adams dewey opera politics aesthetics |
| url | https://espes.ff.unipo.sk/index.php/ESPES/article/view/371 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kallepuolakka internationalismhitstheoperastagenixonanddeweyinchina |