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The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, T +44 (0)1227 764000
Research
History and Philosophy of Art strongly encourages an inter-disciplinary approach to the subject and equally emphasises the importance of theorising and reflecting on the traditions of historiographical writing and the way art historical knowledge intersects with other disciplines, modes of knowledge and cultural and intellectual ideas.
The department was pioneering in developing semiotic and historiographical approaches to the visual arts and was one of the first programmes to teach photography as part of the history of art.
Staff research covers the areas of contemporary aesthetics and the history of art theory, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary, and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and American) and stresses the importance of the engagement between history and theory.
In addition to individual staff interests, we have a shared research culture revolving around issues related to ‘reading the image’ and host the cross-disciplinary Aesthetics Research Group. Developing areas of interest include the cultural and historical significance of the print, of which the University has an impressive collection, and the role of performance and new media in contemporary art practices which draws on our links with the other subjects within the School of Arts and the Faculty of Humanities.