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Project

Defying Social Invisibility: A Transnational Study of Empowerment And Social Intervention in the Field of Contemporary Digital Imaging Practices.

Digital images filter today most of our experiences of ourselves and of the worldsurrounding us. We consume them daily through our computers and mobile phonesand, given in particular the spread of latest-generation mobile phones, we alsoconstantly produce them. It is estimated that every day 6.7 billion people view theworld through their own lens. Despite their ubiquitous character digital images are,however, conventionally approached as a matter of entertainment detached from thematerial and social conditions of our lives. Questioning such stances, this study looksat digital imaging as an instrument of empowerment and social intervention. Focusingon a number of image-based projects in Belgium, India and South Africa that aim tocombat social marginalization, the study explores the manifold ways in which digitalimages can actually bring about change. To what extent can they help bringingvisibility to marginalized groups or groups at risk of social exclusion? The innovativeaspect of this study is that it addresses questions of digital empowerment though aspecific attention to images, a language with enormous potential to favourcommunication across boundaries. The study will also give birth to an integratedmethodological model for the study of digital imaging at global level in whichparticipant-observation, interviews, audio-visual recordings and online ethnographywill be integrated into a coherent whole.
Date:1 Jan 2014 →  31 Dec 2017
Keywords:DIGITAL IMAGING, VISUAL COMMUNICATION, VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Disciplines:Anthropology, Communication sciences, Journalism and professional writing, Media studies, Other media and communications