Decolonizing art and design: Rethinking critical and contextual studies

Arya, Rina

Abstract

The history of art, more accurately described as the history of western art, has been premised on a history of cultural imperialism that privileges certain tradi-tions and ideologies over others. The decline of the discipline within the academy in recent decades and replacement in many cases with the more critically evalua-tive and broader area of critical and contextual studies (CCS) has filled a function in art and design education but needs to be critically interrogated for its relevance and its pedagogical usefulness in thinking about the politicized discourse of art. Attempts have been made within the academy to decolonize the curriculum. Within the context of CCS this entails ensuring standardizing the approach to the subject but not the content, which would be neither desirable nor possible given the decentralized way in which CCS is staffed. A standardization of approach means the inculcation of critical reflexivity when considering structures of knowl-edge, which helps identify gaps in the curricula and ways of addressing these. Decolonizing is a process that needs to be continuous and reflexive in order to embed significant change.

Citation

Arya, R. (2022). Decolonizing art and design: Rethinking critical and contextual studies. Art & the Public Sphere, 11, 55--60. https://doi.org/10.1386/aps_00068_1

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 5, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Feb 7, 2023
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: May 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 15, 2024
• Journal: Art and the Public Sphere
• Print ISSN: 2042-793X
• Publisher: Intellect
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Pages: 55--60
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/aps_00068_1
• Keywords: Black and ethnic minority attainment gap; Black Lives Matter; Critical and contextual studies (CCS); Critical thinking in art and design education; Criticality; Institutional racism; Visual culture
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4629479