Contemporary Photography and Theory

Contemporary Photography and Theory offers an essential overview of some of the key critical debates in fine art photography today. Building on a foundational understanding of photography, it offers an in-depth discussion of five topic areas: identity, landscape and place, the politics of representation, psychoanalysis and the event. Written in an accessible style, it introduces the critical literature relevant to photography that has emerged over recent decades. Moving beyond seminal works by writers such as Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, and Susan Sontag, it enables readers to explore an extended canon of theorists including Jacques Lacan, Judith Butler and Giorgio Agamben. The book is illustrated throughout and analyses a range of works by established and emergent artists in order to show how these theoretical concepts are central to understanding contemporary photography. These 15 short essays encourage readers to apply critical thinking to both their own work and that of others. They are the perfect starting point for essays as well being of suitable length for assigned readings, making this the ideal resource for learning about contemporary photography and theory.

Sally Miller is a Senior Lecturer in Historical and Critical Studies in Photography at the University of Brighton, UK.

Contents List of IllustrationsAcknowledgements Introduction Part One: Photography and Identity 1. The Honorific and the Subjugated Portrait 2. The Blank portrait and the Intimate Record 3. The Portrait and the Contemporary Self Part Two: Photography, Landscape and Place 4. The Politics of Place 5. Non-Place and New Topologies 6. Ruins and the Anthropocene Part Three: Photography, Performance & the Politics of Representation 7. Gender and the Selfie 8. Race, Culture and Time 9. Performativity and Disability Part Four: Photography and Psychoanalysis 10. Psychoanalysis, representation and desire 11. Psychoanalysis, Spectatorship and the Gaze 12. The Politics of Enjoyment Part Five: Photography and the Event 13. Photography, Memory, History 14. Post-photojournalism and Contemporary Images of Conflict 15. Photography, Empathy and Responsibility Notes Bibliography