Synopses & Reviews
War Culture and the Contest of Images analyzes the relationships among contemporary war, documentary practices, and democratic ideals. Dora Apel examines a wide variety of images and cultural representations of war in the United States and the Middle East, including photography, performance art, video games, reenactment, and social media images. Simultaneously, she explores the merging of photojournalism and artistic practices, the effects of visual framing, and the construction of both sanctioned and counter-hegemonic narratives in a global contest of images.
As a result of the global visual culture in which anyone may produce as well as consume public imagery, the wide variety of visual and documentary practices present realities that would otherwise be invisible or officially off-limits. In our digital era, the prohibition and control of images has become nearly impossible to maintain. Using carefully chosen case studiesandmdash;such as Krzysztof Wodiczkoandrsquo;s video projections and public works in response to 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the performance works of Coco Fusco and Regina Galindo, and the practices of Israeli and Palestinian artistsandmdash;Apel posits that contemporary war images serve as mediating agents in social relations and as a source of protection or refuge for those robbed of formal or state-sanctioned citizenship.
While never suggesting that documentary practices are objective translations of reality, Apel shows that they are powerful polemical tools both for legitimizing war and for making its devastating effects visible. In modern warfare and in the accompanying culture of war that capitalism produces as a permanent feature of modern society, she asserts that the contest of images is as critical as the war on the ground.
Review
andquot;Looking closely at the work of contemporary global photographers,and#160;Apel argues that art photography can powerfully counteract war'sand#160;official representations and, likewise, create a new kind of publicand#160;sphere in which war's meanings can be scrutinizedandhellip;a timely andand#160;necessary book.andquot;and#160;
Review
andquot;Strategically positioned between discussions of journalistic, vernacular images, and works of art, Apel significantly expands the contemporary conversation on the 'war of images.' This is an essential contribution to one of the major issues of our day.andquot;
Review
andquot;
War Culture and the Contest of Images is critical in its analysis of the politics of oppression shown through different perspectives. It will be helpful to filmmakers, modern and contemporary art historians, photojournalists, teachers, and students of visual communication.andquot;
Review
andquot;Powerful, thought-provoking, and at times haunting,
War Culture and the Context of Images is an unforgettable, original and valuable work.andquot;
Review
andquot;Movie Migrationsand#160;offers insightful readings of the deep connections between Korean and foreign films. A model of transnational scholarship, it will revitalize genre studies.andquot;
Review
andquot;Essential reading for anyone interested in thinking through the transformative potential of image culture today.andquot;
Review
andquot;A magnificent service to the scholarly analysis of South Korean cinema. This book is insightful, eloquent, and fully engaged. It has been researched and written with tremendous rigour and commitment.andquot;
Synopsis
War Culture and the Contest of Images analyzes the relationships among contemporary war, documentary practices, and democratic ideals. Dora Apel examines a wide variety of images and cultural representations of war in the United States and the Middle East, including photography, performance art, video games, reenactment, and social media images. Simultaneously, she explores the merging of photojournalism and artistic practices, the effects of visual framing, and the construction of both sanctioned and counter-hegemonic narratives in a global contest of images.
As a result of the global visual culture in which anyone may produce as well as consume public imagery, the wide variety of visual and documentary practices present realities that would otherwise be invisible or officially off-limits. In our digital era, the prohibition and control of images has become nearly impossible to maintain. Using carefully chosen case studies--such as Krzysztof Wodiczko's video projections and public works in response to 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the performance works of Coco Fusco and Regina Galindo, and the practices of Israeli and Palestinian artists--Apel posits that contemporary war images serve as mediating agents in social relations and as a source of protection or refuge for those robbed of formal or state-sanctioned citizenship.
While never suggesting that documentary practices are objective translations of reality, Apel shows that they are powerful polemical tools both for legitimizing war and for making its devastating effects visible. In modern warfare and in the accompanying culture of war that capitalism produces as a permanent feature of modern society, she asserts that the contest of images is as critical as the war on the ground.
Synopsis
War Culture and the Contest of Images analyzes the relationships among contemporary war, documentary practices, and democratic ideals. Using carefully chosen case studies, Dora Apel examines a wide variety of images and cultural representations of war in the United States and the Middle East, including photography, performance art, video games, reenactment, and social media images. Simultaneously, she explores the merging of photojournalism and artistic practices, the effects of visual framing, and the construction of both sanctioned and counter-hegemonic narratives in a global contest of images.
Synopsis
This timely new study reveals that, though South Korean popular culture might be enjoying new prominence on the global stage, the nationandrsquo;s film industry has long been a hub for creative appropriations across national borders. Movie Migrations explores how Korean filmmakers have put a unique spin on familiar genres, while influencing world cinema from Hollywood to Bollywood.and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
As the two billion YouTube views for andldquo;Gangnam Styleandrdquo; would indicate, South Korean popular culture has begun to enjoy new prominence on the global stage. Yet, as this timely new study reveals, the nationandrsquo;s film industry has long been a hub for transnational exchange, producing movies that put a unique spin on familiar genres, while influencing world cinema from Hollywood to Bollywood.and#160;and#160;
Movie Migrations is not only an introduction to one of the worldandrsquo;s most vibrant national cinemas, but also a provocative call to reimagine the very concepts of andldquo;national cinemasandrdquo; and andldquo;film genre.andrdquo; Challenging traditional critical assumptions that place Hollywood at the center of genre production, Hye Seung Chung and David Scott Diffrient bring South Korean cinema to the forefront of recent and ongoing debates about globalization and transnationalism. In each chapter they track a different way that South Korean filmmakers have adapted material from foreign sources, resulting in everything from the Manchurian Western to
The Hostandrsquo;s reinvention of the Godzilla mythos.and#160;and#160;Spanning a wide range of genres, the book introduces readers to classics from the 1950s and 1960s Golden Age of South Korean cinema, while offering fresh perspectives on recent favorites like
Oldboy and
Thirst. Perfect not only for fans of Korean film, but for anyone curious about media in an era of globalization,
Movie Migrations will give readers a new appreciation for the creative act of cross-cultural adaptation.and#160;and#160;
About the Author
HYE SEUNG CHUNG is an associate professor of film and media studies in the department of communication studies at Colorado State University. She is the author of Hollywood Asian: Philip Ahn and the Politics of Cross-Ethnic Performance and Kim Ki-duk.and#160;DAVID SCOTT DIFFRIENT is the William E. Morgan Endowed Chair of Liberal Arts and associate professor of film and media studies in the department of communication studies at Colorado State University. He is the author of Omnibus Films: Theorizing Transauthorial Cinema.and#160;