Global Arts: connected histories (to 1800)

Based around the three broad themes of Religion, Trade and Empire, this module examines a series of individual objects in context from across Asia and Africa to explore the role of material and visual culture in understanding the history of global connectivity.

Each case-study will demonstrate the transmission of ideas, motifs, materials, objects and people within Asia and Africa and in interaction with Europe, over around 1500 years from the 2nd-3rd to the 18th centuries CE. By de-centring Europe, this module will examine the precolonial networks of globalisation, challenge the regional divisions of Area Studies and critically engage with concepts relevant to the study of the connected histories of global art including appropriation and reception.

In addition to introducing techniques of visual analysis for students new to the History of Art, this module will also offer an overview of the history of Asia and Africa over 1500 years.

Objectives and learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students will be able to

• Demonstrate a knowledge of the social, religious and political contexts for the production of art in Asia and Africa before the 19th century.
• Examine the role of trade, religion and empire to the production and use of art.
• Critically describe and analyse objects from Asia and Africa using appropriate vocabulary.
• Demonstrate a range of skills in visual and literary analysis, research and other study skills for successful academic and vocational pathways.

Workload

• Lectures: 1 hour per week
• Seminars: 2 hours per week

Method of assessment

• 500-word object analysis (worth 20% of marks)
• 1,500-word essay (worth 40%)
• Exam: 2 hours (worth 40%)

Suggested reading

• Craig Clunas, Art in China, 2nd ed., Oxford History of Art (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2009).
• Finbarr Barry Flood and Gulru Necipoglu, eds., A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, 2 vols, Blackwell Companions to Art History (Somerset: John Wiley & Sons, 2017).
• Robert Hillenbrand, Islamic Art and Architecture, World of Art (London: Thames and Hudson, 1999).
• J. P. Park, Burglind Jungmann, and Juhyung Rhi, eds., A Companion to Korean Art (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2020).
• Martin J. Powers and Katherine R. Tsiang, eds., A Companion to Chinese Art (Chichester, West Sussex, UK; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015).

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.