Prateek Shankar is a writer, designer and educator who works at the intersection of language, history and memory, particularly in the context of South Asia’s difficult colonial past. He holds multiple roles at RISD, including lecturer in the Theory and History of Art and Design department, strategic design fellow at the Center for Complexity, and coordinator of the Center for Arts & Language.
In 2017, he and his peers at The Urdu Project created their first feature-length documentary titled Guftugu, which was followed by a socially engaged public installation titled Ganga-Jamuna Market, in 2020. Prateek’s current research delves into the colonial afterlife of the English language and the profound implications this has on contemporary formations of citizenship, technology and pedagogy, for which he was awarded the Braj B. Kachru Award in 2023. He is now developing a sound-based “living archive” of World Englishes.
As a strategic design fellow at the Center for Complexity, Prateek engages in transdisciplinary research, design and strategy aimed toward navigating the intricate and inter-related crisis shaping our planet, with the goal of fostering a future-oriented perspective in alignment with the principles of cooperation, empathy and sustainability. As a teacher, he believes in creating critical, inclusive and empowering learning environments that challenge and inspire individuals to identify their own agency, embrace plural perspectives and catalyze radical change.
Prateek holds a master’s in cultural studies and critical theory from RISD and a bachelor’s in architectural design from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi. He is a recipient of the Young India Fellowship and the RISD Fellowship and is a participating artist in Futura Trōpica Netroots.
Academic areas of interest
South Asian colonial history and memory; ethics and politics of language, especially World Englishes; language imperialism; postcolonialism and decolonization; cultural studies; visual cultures; the politics of care; strategic design; and planetary futures.
Courses
Fall 2023 Courses
THAD H101-25 - THAD I: GLOBAL MODERNISMS
LevelUndergraduate
UnitTheory + History of Art + Design
Subject Theory & History of Art & Design
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
FormatLecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
THAD H101-25
THAD I: GLOBAL MODERNISMS
LevelUndergraduate
UnitTheory + History of Art + Design
Subject Theory & History of Art & Design
PeriodFall 2023
Credits3
FormatLecture
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: TTH | 11:20 AM - 12:20 PM; T | 1:10 PM - 2:40 PMInstructor(s): Prateek ShankarLocation(s): Auditorium, Room 132; College Building, Room 424Enrolled / Capacity: 20Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This is a required course for all first year and transfer students to introduce them to global modern and contemporary art, architecture and design in the period between 1750 and the present. The course addresses modernism as a global project, presenting several case studies from across the world that unfold to show how multiple kinds of modernism developed in different times and distant places. By presenting alternate, sometimes contradictory stories about modern and contemporary art and design, along with a set of critical terms specific to these times and places, the class aims to foster a rich, complex understanding of the many narratives that works of art and design can tell. With this grounding, students will be well positioned to pursue their interests in specialized courses in subsequent semesters.
Registration process: First-year students are registered into sections by the Liberal Arts Division. Transfer and sophomore and above students should register into the evening section offered in the fall.
For schedule conflicts during lecture times, please contact the Academic Programs Coordinator in the Liberal Arts Division office. For issues with registration, contact the Registrar's office for assistance.
Major Requirement | BFA
THAD H101-26 - THAD I: GLOBAL MODERNISMS
LevelUndergraduate
UnitTheory + History of Art + Design
Subject Theory & History of Art & Design
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
FormatLecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
THAD H101-26
THAD I: GLOBAL MODERNISMS
LevelUndergraduate
UnitTheory + History of Art + Design
Subject Theory & History of Art & Design
PeriodFall 2023
Credits3
FormatLecture
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: W | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM; TTH | 11:20 AM - 12:20 PMInstructor(s): Prateek ShankarLocation(s): College Building, Room 434; Auditorium, Room 132Enrolled / Capacity: 20Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This is a required course for all first year and transfer students to introduce them to global modern and contemporary art, architecture and design in the period between 1750 and the present. The course addresses modernism as a global project, presenting several case studies from across the world that unfold to show how multiple kinds of modernism developed in different times and distant places. By presenting alternate, sometimes contradictory stories about modern and contemporary art and design, along with a set of critical terms specific to these times and places, the class aims to foster a rich, complex understanding of the many narratives that works of art and design can tell. With this grounding, students will be well positioned to pursue their interests in specialized courses in subsequent semesters.
Registration process: First-year students are registered into sections by the Liberal Arts Division. Transfer and sophomore and above students should register into the evening section offered in the fall.
For schedule conflicts during lecture times, please contact the Academic Programs Coordinator in the Liberal Arts Division office. For issues with registration, contact the Registrar's office for assistance.
