On Pedagogy: Islamic Art and Architecture in the Classroom

IJIA’s Dialogues series brings together scholars and practitioners from across varied disciplines for discussions of critical contemporary issues that interrogate the boundaries between architecture, art, anthropology, archaeology, and history. Its second instalment, held as a webinar in January 2022, was hosted by Associate Editor Emily Neumeier and featured Christiane Gruber, Stephennie Mulder, and Fernando Luis Martínez Nespral. Their conversation addressed a number of pressing issues related to the teaching of Islamic art in a wide range of classroom settings. The speakers touched upon the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-racism and decolonizing initiatives within the field, and the future of several new and ongoing pedagogical endeavours. The following is an edited excerpt from the original discussion.¹