72. Positionality of Art History in time of Conflict in Myanmar
In an era defined by geopolitical fractures, art history is rarely a neutral bystander. In Myanmar, where protracted conflict disrupts institutional structures, the study, preservation, and translation of visual culture and material heritage have become highly contested terrains. This session examines what art history does when it is undertaken under duress, considering the shifting “positionality” of art history during active crises and how the documentation and curation of art act as both tools of political legitimacy and vehicles for social resilience.
Supported by the Myanmar Institute for Education and Research (MIER), whose mission bridges local expertise with global scholarship, we invite papers that explore how independent researchers, curators, and local knowledge networks navigate art-historical practice under conditions of censorship, displacement, and material destruction. Potential topics include: the co-optation of historical art narratives—such as Bagan’s temple murals, Konbaung court textiles, or Buddhist temple architecture—to forge state identities; the role of visual culture in local and transnational resistance movements; and the linguistic and cultural translation of indigenous art-historical concepts into the global academic discourse.
By centring Myanmar’s current climate, this session confronts how the discipline adapts when its subjects—and its practitioners—are under existential threat. Ultimately, we ask: How does conflict reshape the ethical responsibility of the researcher and the methods of the art historian? We welcome diverse methodologies across art history, archaeology, and material culture studies. We encourage submissions from early career scholars, and independent regional practitioners navigating underrepresented histories of art from the ground in the Southeast Asia region.
Themes: art history, conflict, displacement
Lead Convenor: Melissa Carlson, SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom
Co-convenors: Phyo Wai, Myanmar Institute for Education and Research & SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom
To submit a Paper to this Session, please follow the guidance on our website and complete the AAH 2027 Call for Papers Proposal Submission Form.