Critique of Neuroaesthetics and Globalist Cultural Imperialism

In a critical essay on Artribune, Michele Dantini argues that neuroaesthetics and cognitive psychology contribute to a 'globalist' cultural imperialism that suppresses complexity and difference. He traces the concept of 'postimperial melancholy' to Paul Gilroy's 2004 book 'After Empire'. Dantini contends that postcolonial research agendas initially promised a versatile, plural art world but have instead led to a new discursive imperialism that enforces uniformity and amnesia for commercial expansion. He criticizes neurobiologist Semir Zeki for reducing masterpieces of European tradition to mere 'natural neuroimaging', treating artists like Picasso as grammarians of vision rather than historically situated creators. Dantini also faults art historians for failing to engage in high-level popularization and translation of Western cultural presuppositions. He cites Ernst Gombrich's 1967 lecture 'In Search of Cultural History' on the need to transcend narrow disciplinary specialization in a globalized world. The essay appears in Artribune Magazine #34.