Prita Meier

Prita Meier is an Associate Professor of Art History at New York University's College of Arts & Science, affiliated with the Department of Art History & the Institute of Fine Arts. Her work bridges African art history, Indian Ocean world studies, and global modernity frameworks.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. (2007) in History of Art, Harvard University
  • M.A. (2000) in History of Art, University of Iowa
  • B.A. (1996) in Art History, University of Florida

Research Interests focus on the visual and architectural cultures of Africa, particularly Swahili Coast port cities, exploring globalization's cultural dimensions, Islamic art, and photography histories. Her work interrogates spatial-temporal dynamics in African modernity and colonial art frameworks.

Scientific Awards include CASVA Senior Fellowship, NEH Implementation Grant (with Allyson Purpura), Mellon Collaborative Grant (with Kenny Cupers), Clark Art Institute Residential Fellowship, and Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship. Notably, she declined the National Humanities Center Fellowship and Stanford Humanities Fellows Program.

Publications highlight Indian Ocean trade networks, Swahili Coast architecture, and photography's global circulation. Recent works (2020-2017) examine infrastructure as identity, oceanic materiality, and itinerant art historiography. Earlier articles (2016-2009) analyze porcelain trade, modernist discontents, and Swahili funerary practices.

Contact: spm9@nyu.edu | 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003