1645 - Making the 'Invisible' visible'? Cultural translation in visual anthropology in the context of world view, ideology and tradition

17.07.2012 | 08:00 - 13:30

Coordinator 1: Puchegger-Ebner, Evelyne (Universität Wien , wien, Austria / Österreich)
Coordinator 2: Kazianka, Barbara (Institut für vergleichende Kultur-Sozialanthropologie und Religionswissenschaft, Marburg, Germany / Deutschland)

Using mimesis, i.e. the 'interpretation of reality via media representation’, as a starting point, we will at this symposium establish a visual dialogue between the representation of phenomena relating to world view and ideology and ethnographic realities in Latin-American cultures. On the one hand, we will look into the question whether and with which visual methods the respective cultural traditions and world views inherent in ideologies, (religious) beliefs and ethics are ‘translated’ and how spiritual concepts, opinions on ideals, social norms and values can be made visible / depicted and realized in photographs or on film.

On the other hand, we will conduct a visual analysis of the codes (language, music, sounds, symbols, facial expressions, gestures etc.) used to implant the respective manifest cultural notions, such as ideologies and moral concepts but also strategies of resistance, into people’s world views. Moreover, we will look at how these phenomena, categorized as 'ideological', ‘inherently cultural' or 'socially incorporated / materialized' are interpreted in media while being at the same time 'un-real' and 'intangible'. We will shed light on the visual as a means of analysis, but also as an artistic statement regarding reality, representation and construction in a (trans)cultural context.

Furthermore, visual examples (from colleagues as well as my own work) will be used to present and discuss new approaches in visual ethnography. This also includes an examination of the different approaches, modes of representation, methodologies and the objectives of the presented visual works

Palabras claves: Visual Anthropology, modes of representation, world views, cultural traditions, Latin America