Image Operations: Visual Media and Political Conflict - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 152610721X ISBN 13: 9781526107213

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2016

Synopsis

Still and moving images are crucial factors in contemporary political conflicts. They not only have representational, expressive or illustrative functions, but also augment and create significant events. Beyond altering states of mind, they affect bodies and often life or death is at stake. Various forms of image operations are currently performed in the contexts of war, insurgency and activism. Photographs, videos, interactive simulations and other kinds of images steer drones to their targets, train soldiers, terrorise the public, celebrate protest icons, uncover injustices, or call for help. They are often parts of complex agential networks and move across different media and cultural environments. This book is a pioneering interdisciplinary study of the role and function of images in political life. Balancing theoretical reflections with in-depth case studies, it brings together renowned scholars and activists from different fields to offer a multifaceted critical perspective on a crucial aspect of contemporary visual culture. -- .

About this title

About the Author

Charlotte Klonk is a Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study in Berlin

From the Back Cover

Image operations is a pioneering interdisciplinary study of the role and function of images in political life. Balancing theoretical reflections with in-depth case studies, it offers a multifaceted critical perspective on this significant aspect of contemporary visual culture.

Still and moving images are crucial factors in contemporary political conflicts. They not only have representational, expressive and illustrative functions, but also augment and create significant events. Beyond altering states of mind, they affect bodies - sometimes becoming a matter of life or death. Various forms of image operation are performed in the contexts of war, insurgency and activism. Photographs, videos, interactive simulations and other kinds of images steer drones to their targets, train soldiers, terrorise the public, celebrate protest icons, uncover injustices or call for help. They are often parts of complex agential networks and move across different media and cultural environments.

Bringing together renowned scholars and activists, Image operations addresses important issues in the fields of art history, visual culture, film, media and communication studies, history, politics and international relations, where there is a new interest in visual culture and the political functions of imagery. The book will also be of interest to activists, journalists, artists, curators, filmmakers, educational institutions and authorities deliberating the ethics of images.

Edition details

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 152610721X
• ISBN 13: 9781526107213
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272
• Editor: Eder Jens, Klonk Charlotte