Alisa Eimen

My principal objective as a teacher is to engage students by getting them to think critically about the ways in which knowledge is produced and represented. I believe the study of images—the techniques of their making, use, and resonance—takes on increasing significance, because of the over-saturation of images in our society today. Imagery has become a constitutive part of our daily lives to the extent that we look without seeing, we recognize without comprehending. Art history is a means to rekindle critical awareness, and this belief is central to my teaching methodology.

The study of the non-western world, and particularly the Islamic world, is arguably more important than ever. As much as I value the object and its formal qualities, I believe its discourse is equally important. Without at least a cursory understanding of the cultural context of the object and its making, formal analysis of, for example, a Hindu temple, a Japanese wood-block print, or contemporary miniature painting will lead to nothing more than superficial regard. Just as identity is determined by what it is not, I believe knowledge is developed through relational understanding. To this end, I supplement art historical information with relevant literary and religious texts as well as film and video, all of which informs arts production and thus our reading of it. Moreover, I develop my survey courses to reach the contemporary era, because I am committed to teaching the vibrancy and dynamism of non-western cultures. As both an educator and American-Iranian, I feel it is critical to teach non-western art history as a living tradition, one that is increasingly relevant in North America and Europe.

I view history as a contemporary practice that frames the past and shapes the future according to the concerns of the present. As a teacher, I feel it is my responsibility and obligation to help students find their voice and contribute it to this process.