DISP: Rethinking Development's Archives

Cultural Sovereignty in a Global Art Economy: Egyptian Cultural Policy and the New Western Interest in Art from the Middle East

This article is concerned with the implications of a globalized art economy in which the privatization of culture industries and the dis-embedding of art’s ties to the nation lead to a loss of cultural sovereignty. Winegar focuses specifically on Egyptian art and how colonial logics have rendered the value of art solely based on its commodity worth, conflicting with Egyptian values of cultural and national belonging. She describes the forced liberalization of art markets due to neoliberalism as a form of neoimperialism. Orientalist rhetoric on the Middle East, deeming the region as not fit for caring for valued, commodified pieces of art led to increased pressures to privatize art markets in order to “modernize”. Another issue that manifested was the politics of international curation of Egyptian art. Who were deemed the experts? And who had the right to represent Egyptian art internationally? This piece deftly illustrates the nuance to cultural sovereignty and the challenge of maintaining its value in an age where globalization has exported neoliberalism nearly everywhere.

Winegar, Jessica. “Cultural Sovereignty in a Global Art Economy: Egyptian Cultural Policy and the New Western Interest in Art from the Middle East”. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY 21, no. 2 (2006): 173-204.
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For more on Middle Eastern Art see: Contemporary Art From the Middle East

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