Is Art History Global? (Art Seminar)

by James Elkins

Globalism is arguably the most pressing issue facing art criticism and art history. As the number of art history departments continues to grow, there is a danger art history will become a uniform practice around the world and may soon settle to a global standard. Is Art History Global? stages an international conversation among art historians and critics on the subject of the practice and responsibility of global thinking within the discipline. The topics are political, economic, philosophic, linguistic, and personal. Should Chinese art be discussed using Western methods such as psychoanalysis or deconstruction? Is it best to use words like "space" and "time" to describe non-Western art, or should historians try to employ the words used in different cultures? How is art history taught without books, slides, or artworks? What relevance does the Western narrative of art have for art history students in Argentina, South Africa, Indonesia, or Tibet? Is Art History Global? is essential read