“Push from the Periphery: Towards a Decentralization of Islamic Art”

The challenges of engaging with Islamic art are compounded by critical regionalism and political urgency. Given the vast extent of this unwieldy and expanded field, Islamic art can be encountered almost anywhere – even small towns in rural Australia.

One persistent myth within Islamic art is the centrality of core languages and regions. When seen from the Middle East and Central Asia, the ongoing viability of this scholarly discipline is driven by privileged access to site-specific resources. From Europe and the UK, colonial practices and collection strategies have contributed to the definition of ‘Islamic’ art. When seen from even farther afield, such as Australia or America, these conditions become exclusive limitations that call for the creation of new modes of access. These also open new conversations regarding the heterogeneity of ‘Islamic’ art.

This presentation offers three approaches to the decentralization of Islamic art. The first asks; how might Islamic art be taught in universities if local grassroots engagement is prioritized over conventional global narratives? The second considers the confluence of contemporary border-crossing and digital humanities to propose new methods of research and display. Finally, it will consider how South Asian perspectives, through manuscripts and architecture, provide sites of expanded significance for art historians.