Directions for Future Research on Art, Sovereignty, and Global Affairs

Abstract

Critical analyses of the art-and-sovereignty nexus demonstrate that art is inextricable from global affairs and from sovereignty in its various forms. Art and sovereignty relate to each other in ways that are much more complex and changeable than suggested by the notion of separate academic fields. While it is misleading to treat art and sovereignty separately in explorations of world politics, collapsing the two terms is also a misrepresentation. Art and sovereignty are best viewed as coconstitutive. Based on insights gained from our chapters—each of which examines a specific case of mutual constitution of art and sovereignty—this concluding section advances possible directions for future research on topics located at the intersection of art, sovereignty, and global affairs. Whether deliberate or on an unconscious level, art can raise questions about group allegiance and emotional belonging, as well as issues related to the heterogeneity of populations within territorial boundaries. Tracing the life of artworks offers opportunities to articulate concepts of material agency, the role of religion, and deep time in relation to practices of sovereign self-determination. Finally, we raise the question whether and how artworks are themselves sovereign.

The authors would like to thank Alex Danchev and Roland Bleiker for their comments on earlier drafts of this chapter.