TOPICS: POLITICS OF MODERN MIDDLE EASTERN ART in Fall 2020 (AH2091B)

In this course, 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 course, 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. Some of the topics the class will address are: • Overview of how pre-modern and modern art has been exploited by Arab governments and colonial regimes. • Artists’ reactions, artistic resistance and subversion of power & the post-colonial era. • Discussion on Middle Eastern art in non-Arab Countries: Iran, Turkey, and Israel. • Contemporary context: 2000 and beyond. (Arab Spring, destruction of heritage in conflict zones, establishment of new art institutions).