Modern and Contemporary Art of the Middle East

Key information

Status
Module not running
Module code
15PARH096
FHEQ Level
7
Credits
15
Department
School of Arts & Department of History of Art and Archaeology

Module overview

In this module, we shall survey the political underpinnings of Arab art in the 20th century, and the socio-political conditions that shaped cultural production in the region.

Whether it is under the Baathist regimes of Syria and Iraq or under Egypt’s pan-Arabism championed by Gamal Abdel Nasser, painting and sculpture in addition to film and performance have been employed by various governments as a tool of soft power to propagate their policies to the public not only in their respective states but throughout the region and beyond.

Despite this widespread government patronage of the arts, many artists have chosen to challenge their authorities through subversive movements and practices, which we will address at different moments in the semester. This module, through its focus on creative practices and strategic use of the arts, will attempt to shed light on an often neglected dimension of the modern history of the Arab World and other parts of the Middle East.

Workload

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

Method of assessment

  • 2,000-word essay (worth 60% of marks)
  • Oral presentation (worth 30%)
  • Seminar participation (worth 10%)

Suggested reading

  • Anneka Lenssen, Sarah A. Rogers, Nada M. Shabout, eds. Modern Art in the Arab World. Primary Documents Publication Series. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2018.
  • Khal, Helen, Contemporary Art in the Arab Middle East (1981)
  • Don LaCoss, Egyptian Surrealism and “Degenerate Art” in 1939, 2012.
  • Kim Ghattas. (2019). Lebanon’s Blasphemy Wars Strike a Popular Rock Band, Mashrou Leila.
  • Sheehi, Stephen. The Arab Imago: A Social History of Portrait Photography 1860-1910. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2016.

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules.