102. Ugliness in the Archive: Art Historical Approaches to Racialised Imagery (FULL DAY)

This proposed session emerges from a surprising fact: most research on Anglo-American representations of Blackface is by historians, scholars of performance and theatre, or scholars of race and racism. Art historians have tended to turn away from Blackface and other similarly racist and racialised imagery. Yet, these visually and conceptually ugly artworks continue to shape our understandings of race, nationality, identity, and belonging.

We invite papers that propose art historical methods of looking at racist and racialised images that have been neglected by the field due to the discomfort they may pose to researchers and audiences. These images might participate in the construction of any race, ethnicity, or nationality or other categorization of human difference. We are particularly interested in papers that consider media and archives that may have been dismissed as “popular,” overtly political, or too problematic to even consider. Topics and themes for reflection might include: the political implications of (re)surfacing racialised imagery, the emotional labour required to conduct this research, and how researchers’ identities and experiences influence the field.

The goal of this session is to explore how art historians can most effectively confront and grapple with images like these as images, without ceding their interpretation to other disciplines. We encourage papers with a focus on methodologies, critical frameworks, or scholarly interventions that participants have found productive. We also welcome reflections from scholars who have become stuck in their attempts to address the harms caused by these “ugly images.” We particularly invite students still shaping their research to participate. Papers will be framed by a brief concept note from the convenors and followed by a discussion from a panel in formation.

Themes: Archive, race, intervention

Additional format comment: The convenors speak to what inspired this panel, then transition to a series of brief papers (15 minutes or less) followed by opportunities for questions. We would conclude with a short panel discussion responding to the themes and concerns raised by these papers. Full day session.

Lead Convenor: Zoe Mercer-Golden, Courtauld Institute of Art, UK/USA.

Co-convenors: Zoe Bromberg-McCarthy, Courtauld Institute of Art, 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.