Postcolonising the Medieval Image

该项目汇集了中世纪图像的学者和更广泛地研究后殖民理论的学者。其目的是展示后殖民理论在中世纪图像和视觉文化研究中的成果，并测试当代批评理论在中世纪研究中的局限性。在过去的30年里，后殖民理论改变了文学和电影研究，但在过去的十年里，只有少数中世纪历史学家和文学学者使用后殖民思想，而几乎没有中世纪艺术史学家参与后殖民理论。为什么这种忽视会产生影响？有两个（相关的）原因：第一，中世纪艺术的经典已经被过时的方法所定义;第二，方法论上的分离主义导致了艺术史学界的分裂，许多中世纪艺术家与他们的现代主义同行隔离开来。除此之外，对中世纪艺术和视觉艺术的研究在其经典和方法上仍然是欧洲中心主义的。主要的工具仍然是文体和图像分析，以及对“历史背景”的追求。“影响”仍然是一个关键概念，它倾向于原封不动地保留艺术思想起源于自足的文化形态的旧假设。这些模式反过来又使“边缘”或“少数”学科被排除在正典之外，并有助于加强欧洲的边界。某些思想被某些文化所“拥有”，任何人利用它们都是“模仿者”--一种本质上的沙文主义模式。随着经典的僵化和方法的根深蒂固，无法实现方法上的突破，中世纪艺术史学家很难与现代主义同行交流。此外，如果中世纪艺术被视为只在过去才有意义，那么它就有失去相关性和在学生和公众的想象中失去地位的危险。更重要的是，艺术史专业的学生和公众的构成发生了变化：他们不再像以前那样是清一色的白色和中产阶级。中世纪艺术的研究还没有成功地适应多元文化的社会。它可以这样做。网络召集人都认为，中世纪艺术可以提供重新思考文化与社会、时期和地理之间联系的方法。以这种方式扩展经典和方法可以将中世纪艺术的吸引力和相关性扩展到新的观众。“后殖民”需要通过研究的理论框架积极干预中世纪视觉研究领域。该网络的主要研究问题将是：如何在后殖民研究（如流散和移民，重音艺术制作，位移，跨文化与跨文化，混杂，存在/不存在）的概念电流帮助中世纪复兴艺术和视觉的研究？后殖民概念如何被用来重新起草中世纪艺术的经典？他们能在多大程度上帮助建立中世纪社区和现代主义者之间的桥梁？后殖民问题如何帮助吸引新一代的学生，他们对艺术的全球影响力保持警惕，并被一个完全以欧洲为中心的艺术故事所排斥？我们如何通过使这一主题与更多样化的选民相关来扩大参与？第一步是研究开发和出版，最初是通过一个网络，汇集和支持分散在不同学科的学者。该网络将包括专门的研讨会和学习日，以及会议将纳入大型中世纪和艺术历史大会，以最大限度地提高参与和推广。第二步是开发课程工具和博士生导师团队。这样，我们将对当前和未来的实践产生影响。

The project brings together scholars of medieval images and scholars working more generally with postcolonial theory. The aim is to demonstrate the ways in which postcolonial theory can be fruitful for the investigation of medieval images and visual culture, and to test the limits of contemporary critical theory in the study of the middle ages.During the last 30 years, postcolonial theory has transformed literary and film studies, yet in the last decade, only a few medievalist historians and literary scholars have used postcolonial thought, while almost no medievalist art historians have engaged with postcolonial theory. Why should this neglect matter? For two (related) reasons: first, the canon of medieval art has become fossilised through remaining defined by now outmoded methods; secondly, methodological separatism is leading to a split within the art historical community, with many medievalists isolated from their modernist colleagues. Exceptions aside, the study of medieval art and visualities has remained eurocentric in its canon and old-fashioned in its approach. The main tools are still stylistic and iconographic analysis, and the pursuit of 'historical context'. 'Influence' is still a key concept, and tends to leave intact the old assumptions that artistic ideas have origins in self-contained cultural formations. These models in turn perpetuate the exclusion of 'marginal' or 'minority' subjects from the canon and help reinforce borders around Europe. Certain ideas are then 'owned' by certain cultures, and anyone making use of them is an 'imitator' - an essentially chauvinistic model.With the petrification of the canon and the entrenchment of methods, no methodological breakthroughs can be made, and medieval art historians struggle to communicate with their modernist counterparts. Moreover, medieval art is in danger of losing relevance and losing its place in the imagination of students and the public if it is seen as having meaning only within the past. All the more so in that art history students and the public have changed in composition: they are less uniformly white and middle class than they used to be. The study of medieval art has not yet successfully adapted to a multicultural society. It could do so. The network convenors share the view that medieval art can offer ways of rethinking the links between culture and society, periods and geographies. Expanding the canon and the approach in this way could extend the appeal and relevance of medieval art to new audiences.'Post-colonising' entails active intervention into the field of medieval visual studies through a theoretical framing of research. The principal research questions of the network will be: How can concepts current in postcolonial studies (such as diaspora and migration, accented art making, displacement, intercultural vs transcultural, hybridity, presence/absence) help medievalists to reinvigorate the study of art and visuality? How might postcolonial concepts be used to redraft the canon of medieval art? To what extent can they help build bridges between the medievalist community and modernists? How can postcolonial questions help to engage a new generation of students who are alert to the global reach of art and are put off by an exclusively eurocentric story of art? How can we widen participation by making the subject relevant to a more diverse constituency?The first step is research development and publication, initially through a network bringing together and supporting widely dispersed scholars in different disciplines. The network will include dedicated seminars and study days, as well as meetings will integrated into large medievalist and art historical congresses to maximise participation and outreach. a volume of essays is planned The second step is the development of curriculum tools and doctoral supervisory teams. In this way, we will have an impact on both current and future practice.