An Introduction to Visual Culture

Book Details:

• Publisher: Routledge

• Author: Nicholas Mirzoeff

• Language: English

• Edition: 3

• ISBN: 9780367235345

• Pages: 310

• Cover: Paperback

• Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches

About The Book:

In the fully rewritten third edition of his influential work, "Visual Culture: Activating the Visible," Nicholas Mirzoeff transforms visual culture into a dynamic force for social change, presenting it as a practice of visual activism. Mirzoeff contends that visual culture is not just something to be studied but something to be done, made, and seen. In this edition, he introduces a contemporary view of visual culture that emphasizes its potential for activism and social transformation.

The book is divided into three key sections. The first introduces foundational concepts of visual culture, such as Indigenous ways of seeing, the impact of visual activism following slavery, and the idea of unfixing the gaze. The second section outlines three significant tactics of visual activism that are currently shaping the world: the removal of statues and monuments, the restitution of cultural property, and practices of repair and reparations. The final section delves into catastrophe and trauma, exploring topics like Palestine’s Nakba, climate disaster, and the intersections of plague and war.

Each section is accompanied by new case studies titled "Visualizations," which include diverse examples ranging from oil painting to Kongo power figures and the practice of taking a knee. These case studies illustrate how visual culture continues to engage with key issues like racialization, colonialism, and undoing gender.

This third edition expands on the original work, mapping the activist turn in visual culture studies since 2014 and setting the stage for the field’s future development. Mirzoeff’s work remains a key resource in visual culture studies, offering a comprehensive and thought-provoking perspective on the power of visual culture in shaping social and political change.