Islamic Art History and the Global Turn: Theory, Method, Practice

Although scholarship on how Islamic art is studied, collected, and exhibited is on the rise, less attention has been paid to how the field’s various commitments relate to pedagogical and curating practices. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, this book explores how the past two decades of debates around diverse, inclusive, decolonial, and global approaches to Islamic art history have taken shape in classrooms, galleries, and related settings. The contributions span three interrelated themes: Theory (Critical approaches to teaching and curating), Method (pedagogical approaches), and Practice (curating, collecting, and archiving). Through focused case studies, the volume highlights the complexities raised by the call for global art histories. In doing so, it contends with the challenges – not only the successes – of teaching, curating, and researching Islamic art history in a global context, while contributing new perspectives to broader discourses on the global turn.