Panel A2

 

CASA logo eng - na web

CASA logo eng - na web

4th Biennial Conference of the Czech
Association for Social Anthropology (CASA)

AMBIGUITY

 
 

A2 Visual Anthropology – Ambiguity and Visuality

The objective of this panel is to discuss films and possible ways of seeing them with a focus on exploration of possible cross-cultural understanding and translatability (David MacDougall 1998, Lucien Taylor and Ilisa Barbash 1997). While seeing is a universal human quality, ways of understanding are always “culturally”, “transculturally” and historically constituted.

How do specific cultural and situational settings influence possible ways of understanding by various film participants, viewers and audiences? How is the process of translation into another language and into different cultural context semantically limited or transformed? Is there any possible universality of transculturality of images? How do the global media form global and local images? Are there any differences between written anthropological texts and ethnographic films in terms of representation and possible ways of (mis)understanding? Is there any need to accompany the visual form of representation by a text in order to explain filmmaker´s efforts in depth, relations with film participants or changes of ideas during the process of creation of the film?

This panel investigates forms of visual representation in order to understand whether, why and how we can or cannot share meanings delivered through visual and audio-visual channels. The panel encourages alternative and experimental forms of (re)presentation of themes and subjects related to visuality and ethnography. Case studies presentation is preferred. The panel is also open to ongoing projects. The methodological and ethical matters related to ambiguity will be (self)reflected and discussed during the presentations of trailers, fragments of films, animations, and photography.

Prague
September 30 – October 1, 2016

 
 
 
 

Lívia Šavelková

University of Pardubice