The Work of Art in the Age of Political Correctness

Abstract

This article sets to examine some of the impacts the notion of “political correctness” has on the art world today. It argues that what started as the noble attempts to compensate for the grievous history of racism by way of inclusive speech and affirmative action has, in the end, generated new forms of discrimination and closure. In this context, instead of pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in social, moral or aesthetic terms, art is itself being pushed back within these boundaries and rendered inert and ingratiating.