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Can we have following structure in English sentence - Has had + Past Participle? Can somebody shade some lights on it? I mean why author didn't write - aspect of which had conferred

"Dickie thus arrives at a position in which a succinct formulation of the institutional theory of art is available: “A work of art in the classificatory sense is (a) an artifact; (b) a set of the aspects of which has had conferred upon it the status of candidate for appreciation by some person or persons acting on behalf of a certain social institution (the art world)” (Dickie, 1993, p. 212)."

Source- I got these lines from a textbook on art theory.

Thanks for your help

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In this often cited sentence, Dickie has not invented a new analytic tense in English, but is using a pseudo-passive construction you've found difficult to parse. Perhaps this parody will help:

This sentence has had conferred upon it the status of candidate for the most poorly styled use of the passive by a champion of readers everywhere (me).

Or even simpler and thus even sillier:

This chair has had applied to it a coat of blue paint by my uncle.

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  • you are a genius. I sincerely and truly mean it. Thanks for your time and help.
    – krishe kesi
    Commented Feb 9, 2018 at 19:53
  • You have my sympathy. Some of this art theory you're been having to read is really opaque.
    – KarlG
    Commented Feb 9, 2018 at 20:04
  • I've found two definitions of 'pseudo-passive', neither of which fits here.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Feb 10, 2018 at 0:28
  • See if you like this one better: academia.edu/12713214/…
    – KarlG
    Commented Feb 10, 2018 at 1:34
  • I don't always agree with you but I'll second @krishekesi, that's genious...
    – Will Crawford
    Commented Feb 10, 2018 at 1:54

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