SECONDARY RESEARCH
Today we had a lecture focusing on the relationship between photography and anthropology as both subjects and tools. We saw that photography and anthropology have gone hand in hand since the 19th century, though not always in a good way. Anthropologists since the dawn of photography and still today see photography as a very useful tool for documentation and presentation of their studies.
Photography and Art in general have long been used to manipulate the portrayal of different groups of people. Traditional African art has often been displayed as a way of talking about a primitive way of life, and in the 19th and early 20th century was often used as a way of defining the 'other'.
The 'other' is a term used to describe something different to ones self. In defining an 'other' you are also defining yourself as different to it.
Anthropologists were often criticised as being distant from their studies, and were often called 'Armchair anthropologists'. Other techniques include Anthropometry (physical studies), and Ethnography (studying in detail, living and working in close proximity).
Anthropometry is criticised heavily as being highly unethical, and is a result of colonialism. Anthropologists travelled to newly conquered lands and took physical studies of the indigenous people, making assumptions about their way of life, in a dehumanising manner. Photography was used as documentation of this study method and we see in the photos an unethical and detached point of view.
Bronislaw Malinowski is often referred to as the founder of Ethnography. He publicly criticised armchair anthropologists and claimed he would study people by becoming part of the community. He went and lived with the Trobriand islanders on an island near Papua New Guinea, and although he did become part of the community within his studies, he never made much of an effort to fit in as we see in these pictures.
In his heyday he was a respected anthropologist, however since he passed in 1942, a diary he kept whilst living on the island has been publicised and tarnished his reputation. In it he refers to the indigenous people as 'Doglike', 'Whorish', and even expresses some rather strange sexual desires toward the women. Throughout his study it is clear that he holds a racial and cultural superiority.
These days photography and anthropology are still used together, however ethics are at the forefront of every study, as we don't want to repeat the mistakes made in the past. Anthropology and photography are often found within documentary photography, with some notable works being 'The Blues' by Mitra Tabrizian, and Andrew Irving's 'Ethnography Life and Death'.