Profile

Biography

Sean’s research interests lie in the visual culture of British imperialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. His PhD thesis is concerned with the relationship of art and unrest in British India between 1850 and 1880, looking at the manner in which artists and photographers were mobilised in times of colonial crisis in order to respond to the diplomatic, military and ideological needs of imperialism. He is particularly concerned with the expectations and anxieties surrounding the early use of photography in India, as well as the ways in which artists asserted the persistent relevance of their own practice in the face of this new technology. His research is fully funded by the AHRC.