Coolness

“Coolness” – on the one hand, a meaningless buzzword today; on the other, a self-assured, late-modern attitude and behavioural strategy with rebellious roots against an unjust world.

But what does the word “cool” mean, and what does it mean to “be cool”? How does “coolness” become tangible? What makes coolness so appealing? Where do these concepts come from? What facets do we encounter upon closer inspection?

Michael Köckritz explores these questions with a holistic perspective, researching and collaging history and stories, speaking with interdisciplinary experts about backgrounds and developments, manifestations and criteria, and identifying with them the icons and personalities that so strikingly shape our modern image of coolness. The result is a journey of discovery that is as entertaining and stimulating as it is creative, exploring the facets of a timeless phenomenon of longing.

This reflective, precise examination of the concepts of “cool” and “coolness” becomes an impressive plea for coolness as a timelessly modern, emotional experience and a self-assured “attitude” that thrives on the appeal of rejecting bourgeois norms and non-conformity, while simultaneously captivating with a distinct aesthetic dimension. This revised new edition of the bestseller broadens the perspective and deepens the exploration of style and culture as defining dimensions of coolness.