Insurgent Aesthetics: Security and the Queer Life of the Forever War (Art History Publication Initiative)

This is a powerfully argued first book that beautifully deconstructs the US global war on terror and its unending impacts on immigrant and diasporic communities of color in the United States. The book itself is lucid, elegantly written, full of complex and unexpected ideas. The close readings of contemporary artists from South Asian and Middle Eastern diasporas in the book are well-executed and consistently compelling. I found the author's method and writing style to be original and lively. There are parts that will seem dense, especially for non-academic readers who don't engage much with cultural theory (this was Kapadia's tenure book), but it is sure to make waves across a range of scholarly and art criticism fields: critical ethnic studies, queer and feminist studies, visual culture and performance studies, etc. The book focuses on Arab and South Asian artists but draws from new scholarship in black studies, native studies, and comparative ethnic and gender studies throughout, in ways that reflect new directions in these fields. It will appeal to people who want to learn more about national security and surveillance, global wars and militarism, and how contemporary artists and activists of color are participating in the struggle to transform the terms of debate on these issues, often in visionary and bold new directions, as the author depicts. This book deserves a wide readership: critical scholars, artists, and activists alike will benefit from its timely and cogently distilled ideas and perspectives. A+