33. Decolonising Art History: Methods, Practices and Epistemologies (FULL DAY)

Decolonisation has become an influential framework within art history, visual culture, museum studies, and related disciplines and we, as AAH’s Higher Education Committee (HEC) held a successful session at the 2026 Conference focused on case studies. While considerable attention has been devoted to identifying what should be decolonised, less attention has been paid to the methods through which decolonising work is undertaken and the epistemological assumptions that underpin it.

This session shifts the conversation towards questions of method, practice, and knowledge production. What methodological frameworks underpin decolonising art historical research? How do scholars, curators, artists, educators, and practitioners negotiate questions of authority, interpretation, and representation? What forms of knowledge are privileged, excluded, or recovered through different methodological approaches? How might methodological reflection help us better understand both the possibilities and limitations of decolonising projects?

We welcome proposals that engage critically and constructively with questions of method and epistemology across a broad range of contexts. Contributions might include:

•           Decolonial, postcolonial, indigenous, feminist, critical race, or intersectional methodologies;

•           Archival interventions and alternative forms of knowledge production;

•           Community-engaged, collaborative, or participatory research practices;

•           Curatorial and exhibition-making methodologies;

•           Pedagogical approaches to decolonising art history and visual culture;

•           Methodological challenges in researching, teaching, and interpreting global art histories;

•           Practice-based and creative methodologies;

•           Institutional, disciplinary, and epistemological critiques;

•           Reflections on the successes, tensions, contradictions, and unintended consequences of decolonising approaches.

We welcome presentations of 8 or 20 minutes or an artistic showcase of 8 minutes (indicate preference with submission).

Themes: decolonization, methods, practice

Additional format comment: Full day session.

Lead Convenor: Rina Arya, University of Hull, United Kingdom

Co-convenors: Sophie Kazan Makhlouf, University of Notre Dame USA, London, United Kingdom,

Claire Moran, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland,

Ceren Özpınar University of Brighton, United Kingdom,

Amanda Sciampacone, The Open University

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.