Introduction

How can teaching adapt to the challenges of our contemporary world while reflecting a deeper understanding of global art history? In this introduction, we outline the motivations behind this book and trace its development from the transnational research project Worlding Public Cultures: The Arts and Social Innovation. We also set out the book’s aim to challenge dominant approaches to teaching art history in a globalized world, advocating for a “worlding” of the discipline that acknowledges the complexities of diverse geographies, institutions, and societies. By examining the personal, institutional, and national contexts in which art history is taught, we argue that educators can design curricula that critically engage with universalist frameworks and open up space for debate.