Hussein Keshani | University of British Columbia (original) (raw)
Journal Articles by Hussein Keshani
Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 2010
Journal of Art Historiography, Jun 1, 2012
The Byzantine emperor Theophilus (829-842) is recorded as having commissioned a palace in the sty... more The Byzantine emperor Theophilus (829-842) is recorded as having commissioned a palace in the style of contemporary 'Abbāsid palaces in Baghdad near Constantinople, making it an important instance in the visual cultural exchange between Byzantium and Islamdom. One widely held explanation suggests that Theophilus had a taste for the arts of Islamdom. This paper argues that the 'Abbāsid-style palace of Theophilus should be placed in the context of contemporary political events and Theophilus's architectural patronage. The palace can then be seen as the product of Byzantine-Muslim political and cultural rivalry mediated by an increasingly shared culture of objects that included architectural concepts.
The advent of digital humanities now poses the primary historiographical challenge for contempora... more The advent of digital humanities now poses the primary historiographical challenge for contemporary and future historians of Islamic art. No longer simply tools to archive and exchange information, digital humanities technologies are evolving into analytical instruments often embedded with under-scrutinized theoretical assumptions. Without a critical mass of systematically developed databases of historical texts, translations, images and overlaying analytical tools, the way Islamic art history is written will increasingly diverge from the rest of art history. This paper makes the case that the pressing need to consider and apply new theoretical frameworks in Islamic art history is being superseded by the digital turn in humanities scholarship. The practice of Islamic art history now needs to actively participate in the design and development of databases and analytical instruments specifically geared toward the interests of Islamic art historians. At the same time, the digital shift presents an opportunity to confront the field’s archival legacies.
Book Chapters by Hussein Keshani
Encyclopedia Article by Hussein Keshani
Digital Scholarship by Hussein Keshani
Talks by Hussein Keshani
Reviews by Hussein Keshani
Papers by Hussein Keshani
Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology, 2010
Journal of Art Historiography, Jun 1, 2012
The Byzantine emperor Theophilus (829-842) is recorded as having commissioned a palace in the sty... more The Byzantine emperor Theophilus (829-842) is recorded as having commissioned a palace in the style of contemporary 'Abbāsid palaces in Baghdad near Constantinople, making it an important instance in the visual cultural exchange between Byzantium and Islamdom. One widely held explanation suggests that Theophilus had a taste for the arts of Islamdom. This paper argues that the 'Abbāsid-style palace of Theophilus should be placed in the context of contemporary political events and Theophilus's architectural patronage. The palace can then be seen as the product of Byzantine-Muslim political and cultural rivalry mediated by an increasingly shared culture of objects that included architectural concepts.
The advent of digital humanities now poses the primary historiographical challenge for contempora... more The advent of digital humanities now poses the primary historiographical challenge for contemporary and future historians of Islamic art. No longer simply tools to archive and exchange information, digital humanities technologies are evolving into analytical instruments often embedded with under-scrutinized theoretical assumptions. Without a critical mass of systematically developed databases of historical texts, translations, images and overlaying analytical tools, the way Islamic art history is written will increasingly diverge from the rest of art history. This paper makes the case that the pressing need to consider and apply new theoretical frameworks in Islamic art history is being superseded by the digital turn in humanities scholarship. The practice of Islamic art history now needs to actively participate in the design and development of databases and analytical instruments specifically geared toward the interests of Islamic art historians. At the same time, the digital shift presents an opportunity to confront the field’s archival legacies.