Photography as Activism. Images for Social Change

172 Pages·2012·63.74 MB·English

by  Michelle Bogre (Auth.)

PHOTOGRAPHY
ACTIVISM
AS
Michelle Bogre
PHOTOGRAPHY
ACTIVISM
AS
IMAGES FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
AMSTERDAM (cid:129) BOSTON (cid:129) HEIDELBERG (cid:129) LONDON
NEW YORK (cid:129) OXFORD (cid:129) PARIS (cid:129) SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO (cid:129) SINGAPORE (cid:129) SYDNEY (cid:129) TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
FocalPressisanimprintofElsevier
225WymanStreet,Waltham,MA02451
TheBoulevard,LangfordLane,Kidlington,Oxford,OX51GB,UK
#2012MichelleBogre.PublishedbyElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic
ormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,
withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.Detailsonhowtoseekpermission,further
informationaboutthePublisher'spermissionspoliciesandourarrangementswithorganizations
suchastheCopyrightClearanceCenterandtheCopyrightLicensingAgency,canbefoundatour
website:www.elsevier.com/permissions.
Thisbookandtheindividualcontributionscontainedinitareprotectedundercopyrightbythe
Publisher(otherthanasmaybenotedherein).
Notices
Knowledgeandbestpracticeinthisfieldareconstantlychanging.Asnewresearchandexperience
broadenourunderstanding,changesinresearchmethods,professionalpractices,ormedical
treatmentmaybecomenecessary.
Practitionersandresearchersmustalwaysrelyontheirownexperienceandknowledgeinevaluating
andusinganyinformation,methods,compounds,orexperimentsdescribedherein.Inusingsuch
informationormethodstheyshouldbemindfuloftheirownsafetyandthesafetyofothers,including
partiesforwhomtheyhaveaprofessionalresponsibility.
Tothefullestextentofthelaw,neitherthePublishernortheauthors,contributors,oreditorsassume
anyliabilityforanyinjuryand/ordamagetopersonsorpropertyasamatterofproductsliability,
negligenceorotherwise,orfromanyuseoroperationofanymethods,products,instructions,or
ideascontainedinthematerialherein.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Applicationsubmitted.
BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
ISBN:978-0-240-81275-5
ForinformationonallFocalPresspublications
visitourwebsiteatwww.elsevierdirect.com
11 12 13 14 5 4 3 2 1
PrintedinChina
viii PhotographyasActivism
Acknowledgments
Thisbookowesitsexistencetothemanypeoplewhoencouragedand
supportedme.So,innoparticularorder,Iexpressmydeepgratitudeto
KyleGarson,thesmartestandmostableassistantanyauthorcouldever
have;JonathanTorgovnik,whobecameafriendthroughthisprocess
andwhoseenthusiasmforthebookkeptmegoingwhenIdoubtedmyself;
allthephotographers,editors,andNGOprofessionalswhogavemetheir
timeandtheirinsights;toeveryonewhoworkedwithmetomakesurethat
Iwasabletopublishasmanyphotographsaspossible;CaraSt.Hilaire
andStaceyWalkeratFocalPress,whoenthusiasticallyembracedthis
projectevenwhenImisseddeadlines;andfinallytomyfriendsandfamily
whowillbehappytoneveragainhearthephrase,“Ican’t,Ihavetowork
onmybook.”
Dedication
Thisbookisdedicatedtoallactivistphotographers,past,present,andfuture.

I N T R O D U C T I O N
FIGURE0.1 AlemaRose,AlerIDPCamp,Uganda,2006. #HeatherMcClintockfromNorthernUganda,2006
©2012MichelleBogre.PublishedbyElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.
xii PhotographyasActivism
“fiduciarytrust,”explainedinhisSecondTreatiseofGovernment.
TherearetwothingsIwantedtodo.Iwantedtoshowthethingsthathad
ALockeancitizen—the“citizentrustor”—isendowedwithmoralacumen
tobecorrected.Iwantedtoshowthethingsthathadtobeappreciated.
andisobligatedtodetectbreachesinthefiduciarytrust.Lockedidnot
LewisWickesHine
considerthiscivilengagementtobeachoice:“[a]severymanhasapower
topunishthecrime,topreventitsbeingcommittedagain,bytheright
Thisbookaimstoexaminethecomplexityofactivistphotography, hehasofpreservingallmankindanddoingallreasonablethingshecanin
philosophically,historically,andasitiscurrentlypracticed.Inthis ordertothatend.”3Inthesepassages,Lockedefineda“crime”asany
book,thewordactivismisinterchangeablewithadvocacy. Activism,as violationofnaturallaw.Withthatdefinition,maybeweshouldconsider
usedthroughout,doesnotrefertostridentpoliticalaction,thecommon anactivistphotographertodayasacontemporaryversionofLocke’s
inferenceinEurope.Anactivistphotographcanbesubtleandpersuasive, citizentrustor,anengagedcitizenwithacamera,evervigilantforthose
oritcanbeconfrontational.Thisbookwillexploreboth.Activist timeswhenfairnessandequityarebeingviolatedbythestate.Rather
photographyisintentandprocess.Itisanactandafilterthroughwhicha thanusingthepowerofthecamerato“punish”thecrime,anactivist
photographerperceivestheworld.Itisapassionatevoiceandamoral photographercapturesit,freezesit,andimmortalizesitsoitbecomes
vision.“Sometimesitistheresponsibilityofthephotographertomakea evidenceofthecrime,showingthethingthathastobecorrected.
callforaction,”saysaward-winningphotographerJonathanTorgovnik, Surelytoday,fairnessandequityarebeingviolatedtodegrees
bestknownforhisprojectIntendedConsequences,aboutthemassrape unimaginableinasupposedlyevolvedtwenty-first-centuryworld.For
ofTutsiwomenduringtheRwandagenocidein1994(Figure0.2).1 example,morethanthreebillionpeopleintheworldliveonlessthan
Torgovnik’sowncalltoactionoccurredonassignmentforNewsweek $2.50aday.Morethanonebillionpeoplelackaccesstocleanwater,and
magazinewhenhewasphotographingTutsiwomenwhohadcontracted almostthreebillionlackbasicsanitation.InRwandain1994,injust100
AIDSasaconsequenceofbeingrapedbytheHutusintheaftermathofthe days,Hutusslaughtered800,000oftheirfellowTutsisandbrutallygang
Rwandagenocide.Torgovnikrealizedthattherealstorywasthe rapedthousandsofTutsiwomen.Today,intheDemocraticRepublicof
complicatedrelationshipthatthesewomenhadwiththechildrenthey theCongo,theUnitedNationspeacekeepingforcesarepowerlesstostop
boreasaconsequenceoftherape.HereturnedtoRwandatoproducea thesystemicrapeofwomen(inonetown,Shabunda,70percentofthe
photoessayonthosewomenandtheirchildren,butwassomovedby womenreportedbeingraped).4Morethan27millionpeoplearemodern-
thestoriestheytoldhimthatwhenhereturnedtoNewYorkCity,he dayslaves.Morethanonemillionchildrenareexploitedbytheglobal
formedFoundationRwanda.2Todate,FoundationRwandahasraised commercialsextradeannually,andmorethan800,000peopleare
morethanamilliondollarstohelppayforthesecondary-schooleducation traffickedacrossinternationalborderseveryyear(Figure0.3).5Andthese
ofthesechildrenbornofrape.Anactivistphotographersuchas arejustafewexamples.Inaslightrewritetothefamousquoteattributed
Torgovnikcannotnotseetheworldinpoliticalterms.Heisdrivenboth toMaryHarris“Mother”Jones—Don’tmourn,photograph6—these
byhistoryandthedesiretochangeaninequity,underscoredbythe activistcitizentrustorsseekoutthethingsthatneedtobecorrected,
beliefthatitcanbechanged. andtheworldneedsthemtodothat.
Whyaresomephotographersdriventochange,willinglyputting NotedGermanphilosopherJu¨rgenHabermaspositedthatpolitical
themselvesindifficultanddangeroussituationstodocumentthe“thing” moralityisredemptiveandthatethicalactivismdrivessocialevolutionor
thatmustbecorrected?Philosophershavecontemplatedthequestionof socialchange.Ifpoliticalmoralityisredemptive,thenperhaps
activismfromtheperspectiveofcivilengagement.Somesuggestthat redemptionunderliesactivismintendedtoengendersocialchange.While
activismhasethicalundertones,basedonJohnLocke’sideasofthe somecriticsorcynicswouldsuggestthatadegreeofself-abnegation
Introduction xiii
FIGURE0.2 JonathanTorgovnik,UntitledfromIntendedConsequences. #JonathanTorgovnik/Reportage
xiv PhotographyasActivism
FIGURE0.3 DanaPopa,UntitledfromNotNatasha. ImagecourtesyofDanaPopa
drivesmostactivistintent,self-abnegationisapejorativecriticism. change”evenifhedidn’tseetheresult.Forhim,asothers,activism
Totheextentthatcauses,concerns,andissuesextendbeyondthe ismoreaboutthemeansthantheend.Theendisapromisethatactivists
sphereofone’sownlife,it’salsopossiblethatactivistsbelievethat seldomsee.
whatbenefitssocietyalsobenefitsthem.Soacceptingthedifficulty Becausephotographsworkinseveralregistersofritualand
anddangerinherentinmostconflictsituationsinthequestofthe response,employingphotographyasanactivisttoolisnotanewconceit.
photographisn’tself-sacrificing;itisbeinganengagedcitizen. Almostfromthetimeitwasinvented,photographywasrecognizedby
“Itisourresponsibilitytodosomethingbecausewelivehere.Itis bothphotographersandsocialactivistsasagreat“activist”toolforpeople
anethicalissueofconscience,”saidLarryTowell,7aself-proclaimed whowantedtoexposesocialinjustices.Activistsandreformersused
activistphotographer,duringapaneldiscussiononhumanrights thecameraasaresearchtoolandasaninstrumentforsocialreform,as
photographyatNewYorkUniversity.8Towell,whohasspenthis thisbookwillexplore.Somehistoriansthinkthatthefirst“activist”
careerfocusingonhumanrights,alsonotedthathedidn’tthinkhe’d imageswerecalotypesmadein1840bytheScotsteamofDavidOctavius
“changedanything,”butthatdidn’tmattertohim.Hedescribed HillandRobertAdamson(knowngenerallyasHillandAdamson)in
successinhumanrightsreportageas“beinginvolvedintheprocessof Newhaven,Scotland,asmallfishingvillageoutsideEdinburgh.Although