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Art History: Non-Western

Non-Western Art History Resources

This page offers more specialized recommendations for African and Asian art history. Please refer to other pages in this guide for general art history recommendations.

Asian Art Studies

Journal & Websites

Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia - From Project Muse, this journal aims to look and listen closely to the discursive spaces of art in, from, and around the region that is referred to as Southeast Asia, from a historical perspective.

The World of the Japanese Illustrated Book - Featuring the Pulverer Collection, this collection includes numerous rare and pristine examples of Japanese illustrated books produced in the Edo period and beyond.

Southeast Asian Art Catalog - From the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, this website features the museum's collection of Indian art with images, iconography, and thematic essays.

National Museum of Asian Art - The Smithsonian Institute presents art objects from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Islamic world, the ancient Near East, and ancient Egypt. This website includes a number of short essays to put the extensive collection in context.

Asia Art Archive - Based in Hong Kong, this site documents the multiple recent histories of art in Asia from an international perspective.

 

Africa & Its Diasporas

Journal & Websites

African Arts - This peer reviewed journal covers the art and visual culture of Africa and its diasporas. Articles from 1967-2014 are available online via JSTOR (create a free account and read a limited number of articles each month).

Art & Life in Africa - From the University of Iowa, this grant-funded website is written by leading academics in the field of African art history and features extensive written, visual, and audiovisual documentation of life in Africa. 

Essays on Africa - Written by curators at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, these essays feature visuals from the Museum's collection and delve into various facets of life in Africa.

Art of Africa - Divided into geographic sections, this segment of Khan Academy/Smarthistory provides essays, images, and videos looking at the arts of various people groups throughout the African continent.

 

Images

Luna image collection has a number of media groups related to African art (CCS credentials required). Login to Luna before clicking the links below.

Traditional African Art
Contemporary Africa & Its Diasporas

 

Recommended Videos on DVD

In and Out of Africa - In this film, Christopher Steiner traces the transnational trade of art between West Africa and the US while exploring the concept of authenticity.

Moolaade - This feature film addresses the subject of female genital mutilation, a common practice in a number of African countries, and girls seeking to avoid it.

College for Creative Studies website