Paper short abstract:

This paper considers the intellectual challenges of the turn towards "the global" in contemporary art for the interdisciplinary practices of art history and anthropology.

Paper long abstract:

Does the turn towards "the global" in contemporary art represent another fashionable art world trend, or does it signal a more substantive development with intellectual implications for anthropology and art history? This problem serves as a point of departure for my paper, which will investigate the conditions of display of modern and contemporary art in several emerging mega-museum projects in South Asia and the Arab world, with particular attention to developments in Abu-Dhabi. What kinds of challenges do such projects entail for art historical and anthropological practice in the region? And what can be gained through an anthropological engagement with some of the museum's more spectacular forms?