Before the "Global South," Indian Modernists Dreamed of Solidarity

"Gupta differentiates the geopolitical Third World from the knowledge-producing Third World, suggesting the latter as a positive term to distinguish an intellectual consciousness that preceded its 1950s political incarnation."

"The book forefronts the Non-Aligned Movement and the Bandung Conference, where post-colonial nations gathered to build solidarity and political and cultural autonomy from the West."

"Gupta offers a locational approach for understanding art history through the lens of Global Modernisms, moving away from Western and Eurocentric views."

"The term 'Global South' is critiqued as a catchall that fails to capture the complexities of developing economies and their struggles."

Atreyee Gupta's book, Non-Aligned: Art, Decolonization and the Third World Project in India, explores the connections between Indian artists and anticolonial figures. It critiques the term 'Global South' and differentiates between the geopolitical and knowledge-producing Third World. The book highlights the Non-Aligned Movement and the Bandung Conference as pivotal moments for post-colonial nations. Gupta advocates for a locational approach to art history, focusing on Global Modernisms that challenge Eurocentric perspectives, using examples from artists like Abanindranath Tagore and Dhanraj Bhagat.

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