We are delighted to report that The Finnish Society for Aesthetics has awarded the Article of the Year 2019 prize to BSA member Dr Mark Windsor (University of Kent) for his article “What is the Uncanny?”, published in The British Journal of Aesthetics (volume 59, issue 1, pages 51—65) in 2018.
Since 1997, the Finnish Society for Aesthetics has been awarding the Aesthetic Deed of the Year (in Finland). They have thus highlighted important aesthetic work made in art, city planning, architectural renovation, the media and other fields where aesthetics can make a difference. With the award, the Society aspires to foster discussion about aesthetics and its role in society. The award is given to a person or community which has through its acts, products, or thoughts raised discussion about art, beauty, and aesthetic value. Starting from 2015, the Finnish Society for Aesthetics has also awarded a global version of the award, as well as an award for a high-quality research article.
In 2019, the award of the Article of the Year is granted to Dr Mark Windsor (University of Kent) for his article “What is the Uncanny?”, published in The British Journal of Aesthetics (volume 59, issue 1, pages 51-65). In his article, says the Society, Dr Windsor convincingly argues that the emotion of uncanniness can be defined as “an anxious uncertainty about what is real caused by an apparent impossibility”. By doing so, Dr Windsor offers an important contribution to the study of aesthetic categories, as so far uncanniness has received very little attention in analytic aesthetics despite its prevalence in art and popular culture. Dr Windsor’s detailed account develops the insights of Freud’s notion of the uncanny with the conceptual precision of analytic philosophy and positions itself carefully with regards to existing research. His argument is rich, comprehensive and yet balanced, making his article a great example of a well-written journal article. The article also maps out possible perspectives for future research on uncanniness, to which Dr Windsor’s article offers a solid starting point.
The recipient of the award was chosen by Dr Harri Mäcklin (University of Helsinki) and the award was announced in the annual seminar of the Finnish Society for Aesthetics in Helsinki, the 10th of December 2019.
More information:
Noora-Helena Korpelainen, secretary of the Finnish Society for Aesthetics
noora.korpelainen@helsinki.fi