Politics of Image

Politics of image
We live in a visual age, in a world where images play a prominent role. It

shapes international events, and our understanding of them. Photographs,
cinema and television influence how we view and approach phenomena as
diverse as war, humanitarian disasters, protest movements, financial crisis and
election campaigns. Image surrounds us morning and nights. This
omnipresence of image is political and has changed how we live and interact in
todays world.
For example, our understanding of 9/11 terrorist attack were mainly based on
the images that are shown in the mass media. Images circulated instantly
around the world giving audience an insight into how shocking and terrible the
event was. These images dramatically represented the event and incited
debates, war-on-response and most importantly shaped our COLLECTIVE
CONSCIOUNESS on the idea of terrorism.
Pictures never lie is a belief that has been long existed in the society. The
coming of new technologies made this even more of a truth by blurring the
line between reality and fantasy. In today’s time anything is possible, even
reality can be constructed through a system of representation. Images are
illustration of issues at stake, they make us believe in its so called authenticity,
they try to be seen as representation of reality and ironically, we fall for that.
We tell ourselves that the picture is real because it has captured the faces and
events in a memorable way. This false internalization we perform makes the
image more powerful and thus, politically partial. Images are biased, captured
from a particular perspective and excluding range of alternative ways to
capture, they make choices on which one is more real and ends up excluding
as much as they include. They are not neutral rather chosen and composed by
a person through innumerous filtrations, produced and reproduced in a certain
manner. All of it says a lot on images not being what we see them as.
So, what affects our understanding of image? Well, there are many factors and
one of this is the social context in which a particular image was produced.
Images don’t make sense of themselves, they can’t interpret themselves and
because of this, our understanding of the image is largely affected by the
factors that are beyond the image. According to STUART HALL, there is no fixed
way to decode a message or in our case an image. Decoding the meaning of an
image also depends upon personal and societal assumptions and norms that
surrounds us.
One such example is the image of “TIANANMEN MAN”-the lone protester
blocking the series of tank in front of him. We were taught that “the image is
of a Tibetan student” protesting against the Chinese troops because our
history has it that Tibetans under Chinese rule are not allowed to learn our
mother language and most revolt against it. On the contrary, Chinese people
believes that it was a Chinese youth protesting against their government as a
part of 1989 Beijing uprising. This illustrates that images are interpreted by
people using their experiences, assumptions and norms which surrounds them.
Images work beyond national boundaries and between the physical and
psychological world. They work different from that of words. They are non-
verbal and are often infused with emotions and because of which, it is hard to
translate the politics of image into words properly.
Images do not only represent the world but also, and in doing so, influence the
associated political dynamics. They are political forces in themselves. To be
more specific, images portray Africa as a place of destitute, always at the
receiver end and these powerless, innocent people in need of western help.
A second one would be, it shows men and women in certain different attire,
hairstyle, the way they walk, their personality and their roles in the society.
Images in somewhat ways signal and normalize gender system of exclusion.
But just as images can entrench power relations and stereotypes they can also
uproot them.
The politics of image also talks about its power that has boosted under the
POST MODERN ERA. As images can note feelings within us, they prey on our
fantasies, insecurities and capitalize on them. They assure us that our dreams
can be attained through consumption. The bedrock of CAPITALISM. So we are
told to keep consuming, spending, and we engage with it everyday, striving for
the unattainable. However, we are never shown the other side of capitalism,
The factory workers, the rising global inequalities, the workers in the mines, all
of this are not exposed in a meaningful way to create certain realities about
capitalism. Here comes the ideology and it predominantly affects the image.
The politics of image can also be discussed with the example of BIN LADEN’S
death picture. The release of Osama Bin Laden’s death picture went under a
serious political discussion for 48 hours, among the then president Obama and
his cabinet members. They decided that releasing of the picture would incite
additional future violence so, no publishing house was authorized to publish
the picture. This white house understands the political power of images. Even
the spokes-woman of international Human Rights Watch said that there is not
enough material for them to determine whether this operation is in fact lawful
or not. They requested for more detailed accounting of what actually
happened from the US government.
It is actually hard to say why the image of Laden’s death was not published.
Was it the first reason or the latter one? Was it an escape for not being out of
the law?
Thus, politics of image is a complex phenomenon.

“realities are constructed through images and apparently these images
influence how we live in the world.”
Submitted by : Dorjee Wangmo(335)

Politics of Image

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Politics of Image

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Politics of image

We live in a visual age, in a world where images play a prominent role. It

Thus, politics of image is a complex phenomenon.

Submitted by : Dorjee Wangmo(335)

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