15.4 Photography, Representation, and Memory

Photography shapes how we see and remember cultures. It's a powerful tool that can reinforce stereotypes or challenge them. The photographer's perspective and the subject's awareness influence the final image, revealing complex power dynamics.

Colonial photography had lasting impacts on representation, often portraying non-Western cultures as exotic or primitive. Today, self-representation through photography allows communities to control their image and preserve their cultural identity, challenging dominant narratives.

Photography and Representation

Concept of "the gaze"

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  The Black Female Gaze Explained - Black Girls Allowed View original

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  The gaze | Zaragoza, España | Juanedc | Flickr View original

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  The Male Gaze | Nikko | Flickr View original

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  The Black Female Gaze Explained - Black Girls Allowed View original

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  The gaze | Zaragoza, España | Juanedc | Flickr View original

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Top images from around the web for Concept of "the gaze"

• 

  The Black Female Gaze Explained - Black Girls Allowed View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The gaze | Zaragoza, España | Juanedc | Flickr View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Male Gaze | Nikko | Flickr View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Black Female Gaze Explained - Black Girls Allowed View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The gaze | Zaragoza, España | Juanedc | Flickr View original

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• Refers to how the act of looking is influenced by power dynamics and cultural norms
  • Photographer's gaze reflects their biases, assumptions, and cultural background (Western photographer portraying non-Western subjects)
  • Subject's gaze influenced by awareness of being observed and desire to present themselves in a certain way (subject posing for the camera)
• Highlights subjectivity inherent in photographic representation
  • Anthropologists must be aware of their own gaze and how it shapes understanding and portrayal of other cultures (ethnographic photography)
  • Can perpetuate power imbalances and reinforce stereotypes, especially when photographer is from dominant culture and subject is from marginalized group (colonial photography)
• Shapes visual culture and influences how we interpret and understand images

Photography in colonial contexts

• Used as a tool of colonial domination and control
  • Documented and classified colonized peoples, reinforcing racial hierarchies and stereotypes (anthropometric photography)
  • Justified colonial rule by presenting colonized peoples as primitive, exotic, or in need of "civilizing" (postcards depicting "native" peoples)
• Has had a lasting impact on representation
  • Continues to shape popular perceptions of non-Western cultures in simplistic or essentializing ways (National Geographic magazine)
  • Legacy seen in persistence of visual tropes, such as "noble savage" or "exotic other" (contemporary travel photography)
• Photographic archives from colonial era continue to influence contemporary understandings and representations of colonized cultures

Photography and Cultural Identity

Self-representation through popular photography

• Allows individuals and communities to represent themselves on their own terms
  • Studio portraits enable subjects to choose clothing, poses, and backdrops, asserting control over their image (African American studio portraits)
  • Family albums serve as visual records of personal and collective histories, preserving memories and reinforcing social bonds (Japanese American family albums)
• Can challenge dominant narratives and stereotypes
  • By creating their own images, marginalized communities assert agency and resist external representations (Latinx self-portraits)
  • Serves as means of cultural preservation, documenting traditions, rituals, and ways of life threatened by social change (Indigenous photography)

Photography's role in cultural memory

• Plays crucial role in construction and transmission of cultural memory
  • Serves as visual evidence of past events, people, and places, anchoring collective memories and histories (iconic images of historical events)
  • Selection and preservation of certain photographs over others shapes which memories are privileged and which are forgotten (family photo albums)
• Intimately tied to formation and expression of cultural identity
  • Can serve as symbols of shared values, experiences, and aspirations, defining and reinforcing group identities (national identity photography)
  • Circulation and interpretation of photographs can be a site of contestation, as different groups attach different meanings to the same images (appropriation of cultural imagery)
• Digital age has transformed relationship between photography, memory, and identity
  • Proliferation of digital cameras and smartphones has made photography more accessible and ubiquitous (digital photography)
  • Social media platforms have created new spaces for sharing and negotiation of cultural memories and identities, blurring lines between public and private, individual and collective (Instagram, Facebook)

Memory Studies and Photography

• Interdisciplinary field examining how societies remember and forget
• Explores role of photography in shaping collective and individual memories
• Investigates how photographs contribute to formation of cultural memory
• Examines how digital technologies are changing processes of memory creation and preservation