The Senses, Presences, and Beliefs in Indigenous Art History: Towards a Recognition of Non-Western Historiography and Methodology

Indigenous art history, like global history and world history, demands
recognition and yet is thwarted by existing modes and methods, which we
will explore in this essay. Indigenous art history can be defined negatively
through what it is not, especially as its difference from settler art history is
marked. The terms ‘Indigenous’ and ‘settler’ refer to political positions within
settler-colonial societies. Indigenous peoples are the original inhabitants of
the land, and settler peoples are the inhabitants who arrive via the system
of colonialism.1 In this essay, ‘settler art history’ stands in for ‘western art
history’, but it also allows for political and social dynamics that are specific to
settler-colonialism.