Colonial Legacies and the Evolution of Art Education in Pakistan

Abstract

This research is an art-based historical inquiry and draws synergistically from the trajectory of colonial art education and its repercussions in the post-colonial transitional times. The development of art education since and before the inception of Pakistan forms the conceptual backdrop for this study. The results of the research will draw attention to the current neoliberal art educational-industrial matrix by tracing its roots to the pedagogical practices of the contradictory interplay between the colonialism and nationalism of art schools in the nineteenth century. The stages of evolution in aesthetics, form and shift in practice from craft to art are analysed and discussed through the multi-angled framework of art education, culture, socio-political structure, technology and canonization of art education in contemporary times. The colonizers focused on the indigenous craft industry for monetary benefits. This assimilation of tradition formed the basis of the art education policy of the British, and they enforced their curriculum, aesthetics and methods of instructions as teaching tools to improve and preserve the traditional art industry. The post-colonial art schools have been stripped off their Industrial entitlement, but the pedagogical methodologies remain the same where industry informs the foundational basis. The study aims at contributing to how this shift in art education from the second half of the nineteenth century to these recent times has shaped the current academic and cultural discourse in Pakistan, with a focus on institutional art practice and education. This analytical paper focuses on the relevance of art education in Pakistan. The writers came across some research locally but wanted to share their point of view for the benefit of educators and policy makers.