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ANT2009 Material, Culture and Visual Media

ANT2009 Material Culture and Visual Media


Lecture Time: to be confirmed, venue to be arranged.

This module provides an introduction to anthropological perspectives on art, and examines cultural, economic, and political processes through the perspective of art and aesthetics. The anthropology of art defines art as a social process, and it is therefore interested in analysing not only the artistic artefacts themselves and the aesthetic values attributed to them, but also their processes of production, and the wider socio-historical context in which this takes place. The module focuses on issues of representation, collection, and museum practice, and critically discusses various anthropological theories of art. We will also examine the shifting boundaries of art, and look at the changing relations between art and kitsch, art and curiosa, art and propaganda, art and pornography, and art and souvenirs. The last part of the module examines processes of art production, distribution, and consumption in an increasingly global art market.