Global Modernisms: Theories, Methods, Narratives

Catalog description

The last few decades have seen growing interests in global studies, both in art history and in the humanities more broadly. Despite the frequently euphoric tenor of "global" discourses in the art world, which tend to celebrate more than critically assess a new era of interconnectedness, it is possible to trace global art history back to the late 19th century, when the world became linked in unprecedented ways through commerce and empire, and when modernist practices emerged outside the West in dialogue with parallel movements in Europe. Global histories of modernism require attending to the circulation of artworks and expressive forms across cultures, regions, political and religious ideologies, and time periods. Noting how objects and practices traveled between East and West, North and South, rural and urban areas, colonies and metropolitan centers - that is, across a spatially and culturally diffuse modernity, accompanied by inevitable time lags and interpretive discordances - this seminar deals with the theories, methods, and narratives of global modern art history, exploring a range of thorny issues. We will especially consider different ways of researching and constructing arguments about global modernisms in relation to complex historical phenomena - including the Cold War, decolonization, and globalization - whose power dynamics have often been difficult to decipher.