Glad to have found this thread. I am planning to apply to a Phd program this year. I want to work on the 16th to the 19th century - so, my choices are limited to Rebecca M Brown (Johns Hopkins), Sugata Ray (Berkeley), and Dipti Khera (NYU). Any suggestions?
I have heard that, apart from Prof. Brown, Johns Hopkins is very conservative and horribly Eurocentric - as an earlier post mentioned. New York is great, and NYU has South Asia scholars - but from what I hear, the department is dysfunctional and there is little contact with other depts. Berkeley, on the other hand, seems to have a fairly dynamic and theoretically-savvy department - many seem interested in global art history. Apart from the obvious attraction of the Bay Area, I am especially interested in a rounded South Asia coursework. So I am also thinking of South Asia scholars in other Berkeley departments - Lawrence Cohen, Saba Mahmood, and others - who I could take classes with.
I am leaning towards Berkeley. Should one write to Prof. Ray before admission deadline? His interest in postcolonial and global theory, museum studies, and eco art history – all seem interesting and cuttingedge. I have heard him speak recently- unlike many South Asian specialists, he brought together material, art historical method, theory, and was able to talk to many disciplines. But does anyone have any sense of the Berkeley art history department?
