Transculturation in British Art, 1770–1930

Examining colonial art through the lens of transculturation, the essays in this collection assess these art works’ complex and unresolved meanings, which have escaped notice without this conceptual tool. Through close analysis of two- and three-dimensional media from the late 18th century to the early 20th century, this volume opens up works in which transculturation itself was being defined, formed, negotiated, and represented in the British Empire, and applies the term systematically for the first time to art history and visual culture.

Essays argue that, due to art’s fundamental nature as spatial, it is especially central to exploring imperial transculturation processes of border cultures and contact zones — and that the products of these processes go well beyond simple mixes of national cultural traditions or conventions. Including both prominent scholars and emerging voices, authors posit that visual culture can suggest nuances and implications for transculturation, and that those new implications can unpack the meanings of art works and objects. Essays go beyond British colonies to explore the Congo Free State, Japan, Turkey, and countries subject to British interest, incursion, and exchanges. Media examined include painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, and book illustration.