During the Cold War, modernist art became an emblem of freedom and democracy in the West, assuming the role of a symbolic overcoming of fascism. ‘Parapolitics’ gives an in-depth examination of the cultural diplomacy of this period, particularly the activities and publications of the Congress for Cul...

During the Cold War, modernist art became an emblem of freedom and democracy in the West, assuming the role of a symbolic overcoming of fascism. ‘Parapolitics’ gives an in-depth examination of the cultural diplomacy of this period, particularly the activities and publications of the Congress for Cultural Freedom, an anti-communist advocacy group founded in 1950 and backed by the CIA. Through extensive archival documentation and recent responses by various artists and writers, the volume encompasses a wealth of references for anyone interested in the culturalization of economic liberalism in the non-European world or challenging the prevailing modernist canons.