Reconsidering Islamic art and Muslim heritage : migration, cultural exchange and the dominance of the Arab-centric aesthetic

L. F. Ryan

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paperpeer-review

Abstract

![CDATA[There has been much debate over what constitutes 'Islamic art' and whether even the notion of a homogenous Islamic style is tenable. This paper questions a contentious practice: the tendency to exclude Southeast Asian Islamic-inspired artifacts from the category of 'Islamic art' as they fail to comply with an artistic canon that codifies works as 'Islamic' based on an Arab-centric aesthetic derived exclusively from artistic and cultural development in Western Asia and Northern Africa.This study challenges this limited view by demonstrating that reciprocal cross-cultural exchanges of arts, crafts, and technologies along the vast network of maritime trade routes traversing the Indian Ocean linking East and West prior to European colonization, contributed to the aesthetic evolution of Islamic art. Based on findings analyzing specific artifacts, historical records and data from curatorial interviews in Australia, this investigation aims to promote artistic/cultural legacies and enrich/extend Muslim heritage for diverse contemporary audiences.]]
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHeritage 2018: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development. Volume 2: Granada, Spain, 12-15 June 2018
PublisherGreen Lines Institute for Sustainable Development
Pages1967-1982
Number of pages16
ISBN (Print)9788433862617
Publication statusPublished - 2018
EventInternational Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development -
Duration: 12 Jun 2018 → …

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development
Period12/06/18 → …

Keywords

  • Islamic art
  • Muslims
  • heritage
  • aesthetics, Arab

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