This course examines South Asian art in the context of ritual practice. At its start, readings from the perspectives of anthropology, religion, and performance studies provide a theoretical framework for a series of individual case studies. Topics selected are drawn from Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, and secular cultures; they address, in turn, the varied ways that identities are defined and/or mediated by ritual practice. Readings and discussions will also explore the significance of the public sphere, the spectacle, and the state in the production and use of images. By contrast with traditional art historical practice, this course will return repeatedly to explore the relationship between visual experience and other modes of perception, including the physical, temporal, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory. Estimated cost of materials: less than $50. III. 1,2,3,4

Instructor(s): Anna Sloan
email: annasl@umich.edu
Monday
1:00pm - 4:00pm
130 Tappan
3 Credit Seminar *Meets w/ ASIAN 480.002