GET INSPIRED
ACTIVISM EDUCATION A few resources we recommend to get you inspired and considering photography + activism from different angles BY ALAN BULLEY
THE CRUEL RADIANCE: PHOTOGRAPHY AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE
IMAGINING RESISTANCE: VISUAL CULTURE AND ACTIVISM IN CANADA
By Susie Linfield
Edited by J. Keri Cronin and Kirsty Robertson
Documenting suffering raises hard ethical and political questions for photographers and viewers. Journalism professor Susie Linfield works through some of these questions in three steps: by responding to critics of photography as a documentary medium; by examining ideas of human rights in the context of photographing violence, from the Holocaust to Abu Ghraib; and finally, by anchoring her discussion in the practices of three noted war photographers. We must ask ourselves: Are there photographs that should never be made? And if they are made, how should we respond? 2012, 344 pages $25.00 Paperback / $20.00 Kobo e-book www.chapters.indigo.ca
10 photo ED
This collection of essays contains a wealth of careful reflection on the use of visual art in the service of activism in Canada. From John and Yoko’s “bed-ins” for peace in Montreal and Toronto in the late 1960s, up to social, racial, and economic issues of the 2000s, the volume covers our evolving context well. And, although intended for an academic audience, the presentations are always accessible and the Canadian case studies are both fascinating and helpful. Readers will learn a lot about when art was an effective means of protest and when it was not … and why. 2011, 294 pages $31.99 Paperback Wilfrid Laurier University Press
ONLINE RESOURCES There is no shortage of online resources when it comes to activism! The Photo Bill of Rights aims to change the industry by encouraging photographers to reflect on their practice and commit themselves to an ethical code. To challenge and help you sharpen your thinking, the Photo Ethics Podcast presents interviews and discussions on topics from environment to empathy, and everything in between. Photo Bill of Rights: www.photobillofrights.com The Photo Ethics Podcast: www.photoethics.org/podcast
