ART AND VISUAL CULTURE OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD

This course is included among the related and supplementary teaching activities (C) of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa (Near and Middle East pathway). It contributes to students’ academic development by offering a different perspective on the area under study, namely that of the visual arts, and provides them with new knowledge and analytical tools through which to understand the complexities of both the past and the present.

Students will acquire specific knowledge of the visual culture of selected regions of the Mediterranean and Western Asia, from the advent of Islam to the present day. They will also develop basic skills enabling them to analyse and deconstruct visual art and, through this perspective, to gain a deeper understanding of the socio-political contexts in which it was produced.

The course does not require any specific prior knowledge or competences.

The course will focus on specific moments in the formation and development of the visual arts of the Islamic world, from the past to the present.
One part of the course will examine the formation of a new visual culture and its development between earlier traditions and innovation. This will include, for example, the definition of the mosque as an architectural type, the transformation of cities and landscapes following the Islamic conquests, and so-called ‘iconic’ monuments. A further part of the course will explore the question of figurative representation in the Islamic world, between tradition and contemporaneity.
A substantial part of the course will be devoted to the visual arts of selected geographical areas, first focusing on particularly significant periods in their past and then moving to the twentieth century and the contemporary period. Works of art will be analysed in relation to the socio-political contexts in which they were produced, with particular attention to colonialism, Orientalism, and nationalism. Examples may include: Iraq (the Abbasid period and the definition of the new capitals; visual arts and politics from the late Ottoman period to Saddam Hussein); Iran (the great age of illustrated manuscripts; visual arts and politics from the Shah to the Revolution and the contemporary period); Egypt (the Fatimid period and a new Mediterranean perspective; visual arts and politics from the British Mandate to the present); and Ottoman Turkey.

- Selected chapters from M. Hattstein and P. Delius, Islam: Arte e Architettura, Konemann, 2001, PDF available on the Moodle platform (alternatively, students may choose another introductory text, including one in English, subject to the lecturer’s approval);
- Christiane Gruber, ‘Images of the Prophet Muhammad: Brief Thoughts on Some European-Islamic Encounters’, in Seen and Unseen. Visual Cultures of Imperialism, ed. by Sanaz Fotouhi and Esmaeil Zeiny, Leiden and Boston, 2018, pp. 34–52 (PDF);
- Silvia Naef, ‘L’iconicità dell’Islam contemporaneo: forme di rappresentazione e comunicazione’, in R. Tottoli (ed.), Islam, vol. III of Le religioni e il mondo moderno, Turin, 2009, pp. 642–664 (PDF);
- Robert Irwin, Islamic Art in Context, New York, 1997, pp. 167–191 (PDF).

Specific readings on modern and contemporary art will be indicated during the course and made available on the Moodle platform.

During the oral examination, students will be asked to discuss some of the topics covered in class, with the support of images.
The examination is intended to verify that students have acquired basic knowledge of key moments in the history of the visual arts and have developed the necessary tools to approach the Islamic world and its long history through the perspective of visual culture.
A complete list of the topics that may be addressed in the examination will be published at the end of the course.

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The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

With regard to the grading scale, the following criteria apply:

A. Marks in the 18–22 range will be awarded where the student demonstrates:
- a sufficient knowledge and applied understanding of the course contents;
- a limited ability to gather and/or interpret data in forming independent judgements;
- sufficient communication skills.

B. Marks in the 23–26 range will be awarded where the student demonstrates:
- a fair knowledge and applied understanding of the course contents;
- a fair ability to gather and/or interpret data in forming independent judgements;
- fair communication skills, particularly in the use of the specific language of the discipline.

C. Marks in the 27–30 range will be awarded where the student demonstrates:
- a good or excellent knowledge and applied understanding of the course contents;
- a good or excellent ability to gather and/or interpret data in forming independent judgements;
- fully appropriate communication skills, particularly in the use of the specific language of the discipline.

D. Honours (30 cum laude) will be awarded where the student demonstrates excellent knowledge and applied understanding of the course contents, as well as excellent judgement and communication skills.

The course will be taught through face-to-face lectures illustrated with images. The PowerPoint presentations used in class will be made available on the Moodle e-learning platform.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development