Global Art History and the Documentary Turn: Theory, Method, Archives

If the 1990s marked an unprecedented interest in art theory archives as well as in art and curatorial practices, the 2000s arguably witnessed a so-called “documentary turn” characterized by a growing interest in the discovery of art-related archival materials from non-Western contexts. Classified as “documents” these writings are deemed formative for select traditions of modern and contemporary art. Prominent museums and publications, including ARTMargins, have played a key role in compiling and presenting the archives. This workshop explores the new and rich avenues for scholarly research that this "documentary turn" has made possible, as well as the politics of the archive and the commodification of documents from the global margins.