Ashley Miller, ed. Decolonizing Islamic Art in Africa: New Approaches to Muslim Expressive Cultures. Intellect, University of Chicago Press, 2024. 316 pp. Bibliography. Index. $149.95. Hardback. ISBN: 9781835950005.

Overview

This edited collection addresses the historiography and critical frameworks surrounding Islamic art production in African contexts, examining how colonial and postcolonial scholarly paradigms have shaped the categorization, interpretation, and valuation of Muslim expressive cultures across the continent. The volume assembles contributions that challenge Eurocentric narratives and institutional practices that have subordinated African Islamic artistic traditions within broader art historical discourse.

Methods and approach

The collection employs multidisciplinary analytical frameworks including material culture analysis, archival reassessment, and ethnographic perspectives to interrogate established periodizations and categorical boundaries in African Islamic art. Contributors examine institutional collection practices, museum representation, aesthetic theories, and the epistemological foundations of art historical knowledge production regarding African Muslim communities. The work prioritizes African scholarly voices and alternative methodologies that center indigenous frameworks for understanding artistic expression and cultural production.

Results

The collection documents how decolonial approaches reveal previously underexamined dimensions of African Islamic artistic practice across diverse media, regions, and historical periods. Contributions demonstrate the limitations of Western art historical categories when applied to African contexts and establish how colonial-era collection and interpretation practices have obscured the sophistication, diversity, and autonomous development of Muslim expressive cultures. The work identifies gaps in institutional representation and proposes alternative frameworks for understanding the aesthetic, spiritual, and social functions of Islamic art within African societies.

Implications

The volume provides foundational theoretical and methodological resources for reshaping how African Islamic art is studied, preserved, and displayed within academic and museum contexts. It contributes to broader decolonial scholarship by demonstrating the necessity of epistemological reformation in art historical practice and institutional frameworks. The collection establishes precedent for centering African scholarship in determining analytical categories and interpretive priorities within Islamic art studies.