SLL40350 Politics of Docu-Photography

Academic Year 2023/2024

We will study instances across Latin America, throughout the XXth and XXIst centuries, where documentary photography has been put to the service of political change, social change, and human rights activism. We will analyse examples from a wide range of photographers, collectives, and social movements. We will consider several questions that are crucial to studying the relationship between politics and visual culture: To what extent can photographs trigger socio-political transformation? Can photographs be co-opted as political propaganda? Have we fallen prey to “image-fatigue” or are we still responsive to the harsh realities photographs often represent? Can we think of photography as a form of activism in its own right? If so, what is the function of photography as activism? Is it to document reality, to witness violence, to denounce injustice, or to prophesize the change to come? We will ground our analyses in photography theory, the ethics of the documentary genre, as well as in the particularities of each political and social context. While the first half of the module follows a chronological order, the second half prioritises thematic and theoretical associations. Throughout this module, we will study a trend, both in theory and practice, that has moved away from testimonial readings in order to understand documentary photography as a social exercise, which produces, rather than represents, politics.

**Content notice: the photographs covered may include depictions of violence and physical injury**

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

The aim of this course is to learn to critically assess how visual culture operates in contemporary Latin American politics by focusing on the use of documentary photography. To do so, students will learn how to:
-View and analyse visual culture and photography from a variety of contexts, and relate them to specific contextual, historical, cultural, and social aspects.
-Develop a cultural understanding of possibly unfamiliar contexts, specifically in relation to political and human rights issues.
-Engage with the academic literature and theory relevant to the field by reading regularly, actively, and critically.
-Identify and assess arguments by others by engaging in regular discussions about relevant academic literature and theoretical frameworks.
-Construct and communicate your own arguments and ideas to others, both in oral and written form, by participating in group discussions and academic writing.
-Combine creativity with critical/academic thinking by taking part in workshops and assessments activities that allow you to explore and develop both skills.
-Cultivate a curious, open, and empathic intellectual outlook by being part of a stimulating, challenging and respectful learning community, and by engaging with a range of artistic and political contexts and social issues.

Indicative Module Content:

PLEASE NOTE THESE TOPICS ARE PROVISIONAL AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

Topic 1 – Photography Theory (part one)
Topic 2 – Photography Theory (part two)
Topic 3 – Photography and Revolution: Alberto Korda (Cuba) and Agustín Casasola (Mexico)
Topic 4 – Photography and Dictatorship: Paz Errázuriz (Chile) and Víctor Basterra (Argentina)
Topic 5 – Photography and Post-Dictatorship: Daniel Hernández-Salazar (Guatemala) and Grupo de Arte Callejero (Street Art Collective, Argentina)
Topic 6 – Photography and Memory: Marcelo Brodsky (Argentina) and Lucila Quieto (Argentina)
Topic 7 – Photography and Photojournalism: Eduardo Longoni (Argentina) and SubCoop (Argentina)
Topic 8 – Photography and Suffering: Pablo Piovano (Argentina) and Jesús Abad Colorado (Colombia)
Topic 9 – Photography and Feminism: Claudia Ferreira (Brazil), Ana Victoria Jiménez (Mexico) and Campaña por el Derecho al Aborto (Argentina)
Topic 10 – Photography and Indigeneity: Martín Chambí (Perú), Graciela Iturbide (Mexico), and Sebastião Salgado (Brazil)
Topic 11 – Photography and HIV/AIDS: Alejandro Kuropatwa (Argentina) and Red Bonaerense de Personas Viviendo con VIH/SIDA (Argentina)
Topic 12 – Conclusion: Photography as Activism

**Content notice: the photographs covered may include depictions of violence and physical injury**


Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Specified Learning Activities

100
Autonomous Student Learning

76
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
-Lectures and interactive discussions
-Student presentations
-Reading forms (unassessed forms suggested to students to do for each reading, which are designed to help them cultivate active and critical reading skills)
-Critical writing
-Field trip to Photo Museum (to be confirmed)
-Workshops (to be confirmed) 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

BA studies or equivalent.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Photographic essay with critical commentary Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

30
Essay: Essay Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

70

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
 
Autumn
      
Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Wed 14:00 - 15:50