Conclusion

Introduction to<i>Visual Arts Research</i>Special Issue, Body Cam: The Visual Regimes of Policing

What is considered to be visual culture changes in response to social and economic disruptions, technological shifts, alterations in networks of exchange, and upheavals in ways of thinking. Media literacy gives audiences the tools to evaluate the messages of as well as the tools to participate in visual culture—to imagine, create, construct, collect, curate, and commemorate their culture. Yet individuals do not control their culture. Individuals exercising freedom of expression may help shape visual culture, but their visual experience of the world is more thoroughly directed by the communities in which they live, corporate insights about what they as customers want, and the dictates of their governments. Visual culture is a crowded and contested space; there is a wide range of actors and institutions with an investment in controlling what and how the public sees. Every person has a right to access and participate in visually dense and rich culture(s), but media literacy trains audiences to recognize that not all can equally access that right. In theory, aesthetics are the signature element of visual culture; more often—as the tools of media literacy make evident—politics, economics, and technology are the central drivers of visual culture.

This paper delves into the dynamic interplay between Iranian rap music and its audience within Iran's socio-political context, marked by stringent censorship and authoritarianism. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from James C. Scott and Pierre Bourdieu, the study explores Iranian rap as a medium for 'hidden transcripts'—a subtle form of resistance against oppressive structures. Through qualitative analysis, including participant observation and in-depth interviews with Iranian rap listeners, the research uncovers the genre's emotional impact and its implications for individual and collective identity, cultural continuity, and political resistance. The findings reveal that Iranian rap music resonates deeply with Iranian youth, providing empowerment, solidarity, and a sense of community. It articulates a narrative of resistance, reflecting the complex interplay between fear and courage, nostalgia and loss, hope and aspiration. The music becomes a vehicle for expressing not only immediate frustrations but also broader societal aspirations. This paper contributes to the discourse on music as a form of cultural resistance, highlighting Iranian rap's role in shaping cultural identity and agency. It underscores the genre's significance in navigating life under a repressive regime and offers insights into how art can reflect and influence a society's socio-political dynamics. The study affirms the transformative potential of music, suggesting that creative expressions of resistance can foster hope and inspire collective action towards a more open and just society.The findings reveal that Persian rap music resonates deeply with Iranian youth, providing empowerment, solidarity, and a sense of community. It articulates a narrative of resistance, reflecting the complex interplay between fear and courage, nostalgia and loss, hope and aspiration. The music becomes a vehicle for expressing not only immediate frustrations but also broader societal aspirations. This paper contributes to the discourse on music as a form of cultural resistance, highlighting Persian rap's role in shaping cultural identity and agency. It underscores the genre's significance in navigating life under a repressive regime and offers insights into how art can reflect and influence a society's socio-political dynamics. The study affirms the transformative potential of music, suggesting that creative expressions of resistance can foster hope and inspire collective action towards a more open and just society.

Editorial Introduction

The purpose of the study is to analyse the role of the cultural sphere in the modernisation of Ukrainian society, as well as to identify strategic problems of cultural policy in post-war Ukraine and ways to solve them. Research methodology. The research methods are based on the fundamental principles of cultural analysis of Ukrainian society from the perspective of modern scientific concepts. The methodological core of the study is based on such scientific fields as phenomenology and hermeneutics to reveal the creative potential of Ukrainian culture. By means of a systemic analysis, the determinants of the identity crisis in Ukraine are investigated and strategic directions of cultural policy for its overcoming are defined. The scientific novelty is to identify the priorities of cultural policy for the effective reform of Ukrainian society by forming a new cultural code of the nation and a new Ukrainian identity that corresponds to the modern socio-cultural paradigm. Conclusions. The article emphasises the importance of enhancing the role of culture for the successful modernisation of Ukrainian society. To implement this project, it is necessary to reform the ideology of the state cultural policy with an emphasis on the development of the creative potential of the people and its consolidation. The strategic guidelines of cultural policy as a value-based foundation for reforms are defined. It is proved, firstly, that the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the people is an important resource for the formation of a new identity of the nation, and the main mechanism of social development is the continuity of culture. Secondly, in order to create a sustainable cultural industry capable of competing at the national and international levels, it is necessary to focus on its innovative development and the introduction of digital and modern management technologies into the cultural sphere. It is substantiated that a key element of post-war cultural policy should also be the rehabilitation of people who have survived bombing, occupation, and forced migration.&#x0D; Key words: cultural policy, identity crisis, memorial paradigm, cultural heritage, museification, digital technologies, visual culture.

Book Review| June 01 2020 Review: Future Cities: Architecture and the Imagination, by Paul Dobraszczyk Paul Dobraszczyk Future Cities: Architecture and the Imagination London: Reaktion Books, 2019, 271 pp., 70 b/w illus. $25 (cloth), ISBN 9781789140644 Adnan Morshed Adnan Morshed Catholic University of America Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (2020) 79 (2): 232–233. https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2020.79.2.232 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Adnan Morshed; Review: Future Cities: Architecture and the Imagination, by Paul Dobraszczyk. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 1 June 2020; 79 (2): 232–233. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2020.79.2.232 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentJournal of the Society of Architectural Historians Search In Future Cities: Architecture and the Imagination, Paul Dobraszczyk argues that there is a lesson to be learned from architectural and urban imaginations—from the nineteenth century to the present—that could be repurposed to solve some of the pressing problems of our cities in the age of the Anthropocene. As we increasingly become aware of the “destructive impact of human activity on the planet” (12), imaginations could be instrumentalized to change current urban practices—or, rather, malpractices. Dobraszczyk asserts that this strategic use of imagination should be possible because the categories of “imaginary” and “real” are much more intertwined than we tend to think. He states: “The central aim of the book is to ground these imaginary cities in architectural practice, demonstrating just how many connections can be made between the two” (8). Focusing on three thematic types of imagined cities—“unmoored cities (submerged, floating and flying), vertical cities (skyscrapers and undergrounds)... You do not currently have access to this content.

In early twentieth century Paris, the Russian Jewish artist Marc Chagall began a series painting Eastern European Jews in hues of green, yellow, and red. The paintings were based upon Chagall’s childhood memories, as well as his personal encounters with Jews in the shtetl. They were also portraits of a universal social type. I argue that Chagall’s experiences as a Jew in both France and Russia influenced this series. He repeatedly depicted archetypes of the Jew such as Rabbis and klezmers. Yet he visibly altered these archetypes via non-naturalist hues of green, yellow, and red. This play on skin color served to both signify and destabilize perceptions of racial differences that underscored French and Russian society at the time. These perceptions included a range of Jewish phenotypes, and, particularly in France, took their most extreme form in the dichotomy between blackness and whiteness. Chagall’s multicolored images of Jews illuminate the roles of both the individual and the collective imagination in shaping these perceptions of race. As such, these paintings offer a compelling view of racial identity as existing somewhere between the psychic and the social. That is, they reveal racial identities as phantasms—illusions that, despite their immaterial nature, are linked to the social sphere. In emphasizing this phantasmatic aspect of race, they offered a form of political resistance to the racial politics that, coursing through post-Dreyfus France and Russia, would have widespread and devastating consequences on Jews and other dispersed populations throughout Europe in the decades to come. In more general terms, this analysis of Chagall’s paintings of Jews demonstrates the power of art and visual culture as a means of both producing and reconfiguring notions of identity within political and social spheres.

FESPACO and Its Many Afterlives Sheila Petty (bio) When thinking of practices for cultural decolonization—current and future challenges to FESPACO and its mission to address and exhibit the cinematographic representation of African peoples on the continent and diaspora—I am reminded of something that Chinua Achebe once wrote: "Art must interpret all human experience, for anything against which the door is barred can cause trouble."1 From this perspective, the power of African filmmakers' contributions to the treasure trove of world cinema lies in the depth and breadth of creativity and innovation since the beginning of film production by Africans on the continent. This work has the capacity to alter the course of history as fundamentally as any advance in science, engineering, or industry. Indeed, in 1989, Filippe Sawadogo, then Secretary General of FESPACO, proclaimed that "the cinema of the world needs an African cinema which can bring new life thanks to its cultural richness. … It stands when other works lose their breath from lack of originality."2 What Sawadogo is referring to is the sustainability of a festival that has endured for more than fifty years through major upheavals on the continent, including local and global political and economic influences and the pop-ups of more recent (albeit smaller in scope) African film festivals on the continent and in the diaspora, especially specialty festivals such as Festival Issni N'Ourgh International du Film Amazighe in Agadir, etc. Much has been written about the systemic difficulties and recurring organizational problems that beleaguer the festival: transportation, lodging, sponsorship, subtitling and language versioning, accreditation, and badges. For example, during the 1991 edition, I sat at a manual typewriter in the FESPACO office and typed out name badges for many of us at the opening of the festival, although we had all sent in our accreditation forms and photos well in advance. Despite all these issues, FESPACO's gift to the world of cinema and visual culture is that it has always provided the richest form of "afterlife" possible. The network of filmmaker-film-spectator is paramount to building communities and social networks off-screen in local communities and throughout the diaspora. According to Haida artist and master carver Bill Reid, an [End Page 276] artwork/film's "real life" is the process through which it becomes a work, but its "afterlife"3 is constructed during readings of and engagement with the work through shared participation in local and diasporic cultural manifestations. FESPACO's Traveling Digital Cinema, which provides free open-air screenings to neighborhoods in Ouagadougou and to nine other cities and towns in Burkina Faso, is an afterlife case in point—where the wealth of the festival is shared by the people, with the people, as local film critics lead debates with the audiences following the screenings. Another FESPACO afterlife gift is the International Market for Cinema and Audiovisuals (MICA). Established in 1983 to answer a call to action during the 1982 Niamey Congress, MICA opened its doors to FESPACO festivalgoers in 1989 to encourage exchanges between producers, directors, distributors, and TV-buyers and the diffusion of the richness and plurality of African cultures around the globe.4 It seems, however, that thirty years later, MICA "does not yet organize English language screenings for international buyers, as is done in more established festivals."5 Olivier Barlet makes a salient point here. Indeed, what should the festival's official language be as Indigenous languages increasingly stake out more prominent space in cultural manifestations? And on a continental level, this seems almost overwhelming to surmount. Yet, perhaps it is FESPACO's "openness and accessibility" compared to other festivals, and the "generosity of the filmmakers" who take the time to meet industry professionals and scholars alike, that softens the edges of this frustrating situation.6 MICA, and the generosity of industry professionals exhibiting their films, videos, and television programs, made it possible for me as a scholar to research the circulation of ideas and aesthetics in global television in the 1990s. To be sure, feature films and their prize categories have dominated FESPACO since its inception. Yet, many lauded filmmakers who began their careers making feature-length films transitioned to television and have...

This article explores changes to the strongly gendered politics of representation in applied chemical research using visual material from company magazines of Czech-based chemical plants (1969–2000). This representation overlaps with identified developments in the gender order and how these relate to the disputed Cold War discourse. The focus on visual representations gives us a novel perspective on the intersection of technology, gender and geopolitics and what it can tell us about the ways in which competing versions of modernity have been shaped. We find that in the 1969-1989 period, applied chemical research is primarily portrayed as interaction between women and chemical equipment, making the face of applied chemical research distinctly feminine. This is in line with the definition of socialist modernity through a stress on women’s emancipation and equality as part of the liberation of society as such. However, a detailed visual discourse analysis reveals that this visual representation is less about applied chemical research and more about femininity defined around a singular understanding of motherhood. The gradual dehumanization of chemical research in the visual material resonates with the onset of political and economic change around 1989 marked by a radical change in the overall visual culture.

The Content of Our Caricature: African American Comic Art and Political Belonging

The Content of Our Caricature: African American Comic Art and Political Belonging

This study discerns political resistance from everyday resistance and then develops on a distinction between a morally and politically justifiable resistance and the kind that is not. Drawing on different historical periods, it demonstrates why the conceptual clarification and moral justification of political resistance cannot rely upon the categories of non-violence, visibility, and legality alone. This study has five main arguments. First, a genuine political resistance is collective and occurs in public. It is conducted with the cooperation of similar-minded people out in the open, as long as there is room for politics. Therefore, it is not hidden like everyday forms of resistance. Second, political resistance may or may not use violent means of opposition. The use of violence may be justified insofar as it is a response to extreme injustice and opens up the space for politics. The mode of action to be taken is thus contingent upon the political situation instead of moral absolutes. Third, a genuine political resistance aims either at the liberation from oppression, which is a prerequisite for the constitution of political freedom, or at the expansion of political equality. Fourth, the question of liberation or emancipation is essentially ideological because it is related to the question of justice that has to do with the distribution of economic and political resources. Finally, as every political resistance ultimately acts upon the existing conditions of social life and the flux of politics, the participants have to engage in practical-critical activity. Overall, this study argues, the different forms of political resistance require an agenda to set in motion, strategies and tactics developed around moral and political philosophies, and some degree of flexibility to move in accordance with the prospect of resistance.

This article spotlights the Lenormand deck, from its origins as a playing card for gaming and gambling to its evolving role as a divination tool. By examining the historical context, production techniques, and symbolic imagery, the study highlights the unique cultural and artistic significance of the Lenormand cards. The methodology includes a comparative analysis with the Tarot system, revealing how the Lenormand deck’s straightforward and accessible imagery contrasts with Tarot’s complex esoteric symbolism. This research underscores the Lenormand deck’s reflection of broader societal changes, particularly its role in democratizing art and esoteric practices. The Lenormand’s simplicity and universal symbols made itself accessible to the mass. By situating the Lenormand deck within the broader narrative of cartomancy and visual culture, the essay demonstrates its importance as a historical artifact that bridges gaming, art, and divination, providing insights into the intersection of leisure culture, material history, and social transformation.

Growing tensions between the independent art scene and cultural institutions in Cuba, intensified by censorship and widespread access to the Internet, have given rise to new forms of digital resistance. This paper analyzes Cuban artivism through the hashtags #00BienalDeLaHabana (2017-2018) and #NoALaBienalDeLaHabana (2021-2022), with the aim of examining how these campaigns shape critical discourses and produce new forms of aesthetic and political expression. The analysis of 300 Instagram posts associated with both hashtags allowed us to observe how digital artivism has redefined the modes of circulation of countercultural art and reorganized the Cuban cultural field. As Lev Manovich argues, technologies and platforms not only change the tools of creation, but also the epistemological structures from which we think and relate to image, authorship, and visual culture. Using a historical-critical approach combined with digital methods, the research traces a cartography of dissent, identifies visual patterns, and maps transnational networks. This paper proposes a situated reading of Cuban digital artivism as a practice of resistance that reactivates the languages of contemporary art and activism. Following Jacques Rancière, it argues that hashtags not only communicate, but also suspend ordinary sensory experience by challenging the hierarchies between seeing, saying, and acting. Despite the ephemeral nature of hashtags, they are powerful tools for questioning ossified institutional structures and opening up interstitial spaces in authoritarian contexts.

Historians have extensively explored the topic of water control in Mexico City. From the relationship between political power and hydraulics to detailed studies of drainage and other large-scale infrastructure projects, the epic story of water in this megalopolis, constructed over a series of ancient lakes, continues to captivate people’s imaginations. Securing potable water for the fast-growing city is also a constant struggle, yet it has received comparatively less attention than drainage in historical research. Moreover, until quite recently scholars have not been especially concerned with water control as a process of representation—that is, a process shaped by, and shaping, visual culture. Yet, potable water brings together many stories about people and places both within and outside of the Basin of Mexico. As such, the history of potable water is communicated through a diverse array of objects and modern infrastructures not limited to the idea of waterworks in the traditional sense of the term. A more expansive view of “infrastructure” incorporates more than the commonplace objects of hydraulic management such as aqueducts, pumps, wells, and pipes: it also involves architecture, photography, and narrative history, official and unofficial. Built in the first decade of the 20th century as a response to acute water shortages, the impressively modern Xochimilco Potable Water Works exemplifies a system that delivered far more than fresh drinking water through its series of modern electric pumps and aqueduct. The system was a result of a larger modernization initiative launched by the administration of Porfirio Díaz (1876–1911). It wove together an official history of water, which included the annexation of Xochimilco’s springs, through its diverse infrastructures, including the engineering of the potable water system as well as the significance of the structures themselves in terms of locations and architectural elaboration in neo-styles (also known as historical styles) typical of the period. Demonstrably clear from the sheer investment in making the Xochimilco waterworks appealing to the public is that infrastructure can possess a rich visual culture of its own.