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rufus666's review
4.0
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When we think today of photographs we think of family gatherings, a day on the beach with friends and other fun things. On the other more sophisticated end, we think of art exhibits showcasing the latest photographic techniques, elaborate lightings and other such stuff. It never occurs to us unless we closely study the history of photography, that this seemingly benign technology was used for domination.
This aspect is what Benito M. Vergara Jr. explores in his 'Displaying Filipinos: Colonialism and Photography in Early Twentieth Century Philippines.' The book was published in 1995 when the author was twenty-five years old and completing his doctoral degree in Anthropology at Cornell.
The short Introduction is entitled the 'Kodak Zone' and is a reference to a work by Frank D. Millet, a correspondent for Harper's Weekly who wrote of his experience in the Philippines in the late nineteenth century. The particular passage is itself from the introduction of Millet's book 'The Expedition to the Philippines.'
According to Vergara, American interest in the Philippines was twofold: imperial ambition or benevolent assimilation and search for adventure in an idealized exotic setting. Millet tells us that adventure books were not enough to satiate the desires of the populace. To be truly 'seen' these newly colonized faraway places (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and then the Philippines) had to be photographed, and thus brought into the 'Kodak zone.'
Vergara then examines the relationship between truth and photography. We are introduced to the idea that the power of the photograph lies in its being equated with an objective, accurate and unbiased representation of reality. Here, Vergara tells us, lies the capacity of the photograph to deceive, since photography is not that objective at all.
There are many factors that affect how a photograph is to be seen and interpreted. The simple fact that a caption is placed under a photograph already imposes upon us a limitation of the possible amount of interpretation that we can do. In the production of the photograph itself this idea can be seen. How the subjects are posed and the reason why they are in such a position and why they are photographed in the first place all contribute to the argument against the objectivity of photographs.
To what purpose then were these photographs used? In the context of the American occupation of the Philippines, these photographs, according to Vergara served to substantiate the Manifest Destiny narrative. The photographs disseminated the idea that the Filipinos are in need of civilization and that this civilization could only be provided by the United States. A rather curious series of images analyzed in the book shows the transformation of an Igorot man upon entering the Constabulary force from "wild" to "civilized." In the first image on the left, the man is shown wearing his native headgear, his hair long and his upper body totally bare. The next photo on the right shows the same man in the same pose, though this time he is clothed, his hair is short and is wearing a uniform. The third photo finally shows him in complete uniform, his native headgear now replaced with a military regulation cap.
Another purpose of these photographs is possession. This act of possession is linked with the development of the postcard which highlighted the image more than the text. The postcard, according to Vergara, is a commoditisation of the images of the objectified subjects, the Filipinos. By buying these images, the average American citizen symbolically owns the Philippines and its native inhabitants.
The sixth chapter 'On Display' looks at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition whose centrepiece was the Philippine Reservation. For this spectacle, the American organizers gathered several natives from various parts of the Philippines to recreate for the American visitors their various tribal ceremonies. The natives followed a regimented schedule where special ceremonies reserved only for special occasions such as the initiation of a chieftain, are played out daily in order to satisfy the gaze of the exposition's visitors. This exposition is crucial according to Vergara since it shows the different American groups: government, academic, private enterprise come together in order to display an image of the Philippines. The exposition, simply put is a display to the world not just of the Filipinos, but of the American imperial might that allowed for the exposition to take place in the first place.
Death must be the very last thing in our minds when we think of photographs. Yet Vergara discusses the connection between death and photography in his book. Regarding the taking of photographs of dead Filipino insurgents Vergara states, “These photographs were not just taken for documentary purposes; they were used to display the technological supremacy of the colonial power for American readers by strewing the pages with the dead.” This connection with death is further emphasized in a work by Filipino author Vicente Rafael entitled ‘White Love and Other Events in Filipino History,’ which was published five years after Vergara’s book. The third chapter of the book which deals with photography is entitled ‘The Undead: Notes on Photography in the Philippines.’ Vergara sees the Americans who took the photographs of dead Filipinos as ‘tourists of their own violence,’ comparing a photo of such to that of a hunter posing with the animal that he has just killed. Rafael on the other hand sees a somewhat different picture.
Rafael takes a step back in order to look at the broader picture and writes that the character of recent writings regarding colonialism and photography are vengeful in character. This is so because in looking at these photos, one cannot help but see the violence that accompanied their production. He asks "seeing [the photographs] by looking away from them, regarding them as mere appearances that carry messages whose meanings are already laid out in advance, do we not also submit to the force of a colonial reading practice that we might have wanted to expose and negate?" Here one is reminded of Nietzsche’s dictum that “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he become one.”
In summary, Vergara’s book presents us with a new perspective with which to view this turbulent period in our nation’s history. Photographs as historical documents must be critically analysed in order for hidden meanings to surface. The production of these photographs was not objective since they were used to promote the ideology of American supremacy. But we must also be careful not to read too much meaning into these images, for as Rafael warned, we might simply be copying what the colonialists did a century ago.
Oct 23, '09
-------------------------
When we think today of photographs we think of family gatherings, a day on the beach with friends and other fun things. On the other more sophisticated end, we think of art exhibits showcasing the latest photographic techniques, elaborate lightings and other such stuff. It never occurs to us unless we closely study the history of photography, that this seemingly benign technology was used for domination.
This aspect is what Benito M. Vergara Jr. explores in his 'Displaying Filipinos: Colonialism and Photography in Early Twentieth Century Philippines.' The book was published in 1995 when the author was twenty-five years old and completing his doctoral degree in Anthropology at Cornell.
The short Introduction is entitled the 'Kodak Zone' and is a reference to a work by Frank D. Millet, a correspondent for Harper's Weekly who wrote of his experience in the Philippines in the late nineteenth century. The particular passage is itself from the introduction of Millet's book 'The Expedition to the Philippines.'
According to Vergara, American interest in the Philippines was twofold: imperial ambition or benevolent assimilation and search for adventure in an idealized exotic setting. Millet tells us that adventure books were not enough to satiate the desires of the populace. To be truly 'seen' these newly colonized faraway places (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and then the Philippines) had to be photographed, and thus brought into the 'Kodak zone.'
Vergara then examines the relationship between truth and photography. We are introduced to the idea that the power of the photograph lies in its being equated with an objective, accurate and unbiased representation of reality. Here, Vergara tells us, lies the capacity of the photograph to deceive, since photography is not that objective at all.
There are many factors that affect how a photograph is to be seen and interpreted. The simple fact that a caption is placed under a photograph already imposes upon us a limitation of the possible amount of interpretation that we can do. In the production of the photograph itself this idea can be seen. How the subjects are posed and the reason why they are in such a position and why they are photographed in the first place all contribute to the argument against the objectivity of photographs.
To what purpose then were these photographs used? In the context of the American occupation of the Philippines, these photographs, according to Vergara served to substantiate the Manifest Destiny narrative. The photographs disseminated the idea that the Filipinos are in need of civilization and that this civilization could only be provided by the United States. A rather curious series of images analyzed in the book shows the transformation of an Igorot man upon entering the Constabulary force from "wild" to "civilized." In the first image on the left, the man is shown wearing his native headgear, his hair long and his upper body totally bare. The next photo on the right shows the same man in the same pose, though this time he is clothed, his hair is short and is wearing a uniform. The third photo finally shows him in complete uniform, his native headgear now replaced with a military regulation cap.
Another purpose of these photographs is possession. This act of possession is linked with the development of the postcard which highlighted the image more than the text. The postcard, according to Vergara, is a commoditisation of the images of the objectified subjects, the Filipinos. By buying these images, the average American citizen symbolically owns the Philippines and its native inhabitants.
The sixth chapter 'On Display' looks at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition whose centrepiece was the Philippine Reservation. For this spectacle, the American organizers gathered several natives from various parts of the Philippines to recreate for the American visitors their various tribal ceremonies. The natives followed a regimented schedule where special ceremonies reserved only for special occasions such as the initiation of a chieftain, are played out daily in order to satisfy the gaze of the exposition's visitors. This exposition is crucial according to Vergara since it shows the different American groups: government, academic, private enterprise come together in order to display an image of the Philippines. The exposition, simply put is a display to the world not just of the Filipinos, but of the American imperial might that allowed for the exposition to take place in the first place.
Death must be the very last thing in our minds when we think of photographs. Yet Vergara discusses the connection between death and photography in his book. Regarding the taking of photographs of dead Filipino insurgents Vergara states, “These photographs were not just taken for documentary purposes; they were used to display the technological supremacy of the colonial power for American readers by strewing the pages with the dead.” This connection with death is further emphasized in a work by Filipino author Vicente Rafael entitled ‘White Love and Other Events in Filipino History,’ which was published five years after Vergara’s book. The third chapter of the book which deals with photography is entitled ‘The Undead: Notes on Photography in the Philippines.’ Vergara sees the Americans who took the photographs of dead Filipinos as ‘tourists of their own violence,’ comparing a photo of such to that of a hunter posing with the animal that he has just killed. Rafael on the other hand sees a somewhat different picture.
Rafael takes a step back in order to look at the broader picture and writes that the character of recent writings regarding colonialism and photography are vengeful in character. This is so because in looking at these photos, one cannot help but see the violence that accompanied their production. He asks "seeing [the photographs] by looking away from them, regarding them as mere appearances that carry messages whose meanings are already laid out in advance, do we not also submit to the force of a colonial reading practice that we might have wanted to expose and negate?" Here one is reminded of Nietzsche’s dictum that “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he become one.”
In summary, Vergara’s book presents us with a new perspective with which to view this turbulent period in our nation’s history. Photographs as historical documents must be critically analysed in order for hidden meanings to surface. The production of these photographs was not objective since they were used to promote the ideology of American supremacy. But we must also be careful not to read too much meaning into these images, for as Rafael warned, we might simply be copying what the colonialists did a century ago.
Oct 23, '09
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kara666's review
4.0
---------------------
When we think today of photographs we think of family gatherings, a day on the beach with friends and other fun things. On the other more sophisticated end, we think of art exhibits showcasing the latest photographic techniques, elaborate lightings and other such stuff. It never occurs to us unless we closely study the history of photography, that this seemingly benign technology was used for domination.
This aspect is what Benito M. Vergara Jr. explores in his 'Displaying Filipinos: Colonialism and Photography in Early Twentieth Century Philippines.' The book was published in 1995 when the author was twenty-five years old and completing his doctoral degree in Anthropology at Cornell.
The short Introduction is entitled the 'Kodak Zone' and is a reference to a work by Frank D. Millet, a correspondent for Harper's Weekly who wrote of his experience in the Philippines in the late nineteenth century. The particular passage is itself from the introduction of Millet's book 'The Expedition to the Philippines.'
According to Vergara, American interest in the Philippines was twofold: imperial ambition or benevolent assimilation and search for adventure in an idealized exotic setting. Millet tells us that adventure books were not enough to satiate the desires of the populace. To be truly 'seen' these newly colonized faraway places (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and then the Philippines) had to be photographed, and thus brought into the 'Kodak zone.'
Vergara then examines the relationship between truth and photography. We are introduced to the idea that the power of the photograph lies in its being equated with an objective, accurate and unbiased representation of reality. Here, Vergara tells us, lies the capacity of the photograph to deceive, since photography is not that objective at all.
There are many factors that affect how a photograph is to be seen and interpreted. The simple fact that a caption is placed under a photograph already imposes upon us a limitation of the possible amount of interpretation that we can do. In the production of the photograph itself this idea can be seen. How the subjects are posed and the reason why they are in such a position and why they are photographed in the first place all contribute to the argument against the objectivity of photographs.
To what purpose then were these photographs used? In the context of the American occupation of the Philippines, these photographs, according to Vergara served to substantiate the Manifest Destiny narrative. The photographs disseminated the idea that the Filipinos are in need of civilization and that this civilization could only be provided by the United States. A rather curious series of images analyzed in the book shows the transformation of an Igorot man upon entering the Constabulary force from "wild" to "civilized." In the first image on the left, the man is shown wearing his native headgear, his hair long and his upper body totally bare. The next photo on the right shows the same man in the same pose, though this time he is clothed, his hair is short and is wearing a uniform. The third photo finally shows him in complete uniform, his native headgear now replaced with a military regulation cap.
Another purpose of these photographs is possession. This act of possession is linked with the development of the postcard which highlighted the image more than the text. The postcard, according to Vergara, is a commoditisation of the images of the objectified subjects, the Filipinos. By buying these images, the average American citizen symbolically owns the Philippines and its native inhabitants.
The sixth chapter 'On Display' looks at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition whose centrepiece was the Philippine Reservation. For this spectacle, the American organizers gathered several natives from various parts of the Philippines to recreate for the American visitors their various tribal ceremonies. The natives followed a regimented schedule where special ceremonies reserved only for special occasions such as the initiation of a chieftain, are played out daily in order to satisfy the gaze of the exposition's visitors. This exposition is crucial according to Vergara since it shows the different American groups: government, academic, private enterprise come together in order to display an image of the Philippines. The exposition, simply put is a display to the world not just of the Filipinos, but of the American imperial might that allowed for the exposition to take place in the first place.
Death must be the very last thing in our minds when we think of photographs. Yet Vergara discusses the connection between death and photography in his book. Regarding the taking of photographs of dead Filipino insurgents Vergara states, “These photographs were not just taken for documentary purposes; they were used to display the technological supremacy of the colonial power for American readers by strewing the pages with the dead.” This connection with death is further emphasized in a work by Filipino author Vicente Rafael entitled ‘White Love and Other Events in Filipino History,’ which was published five years after Vergara’s book. The third chapter of the book which deals with photography is entitled ‘The Undead: Notes on Photography in the Philippines.’ Vergara sees the Americans who took the photographs of dead Filipinos as ‘tourists of their own violence,’ comparing a photo of such to that of a hunter posing with the animal that he has just killed. Rafael on the other hand sees a somewhat different picture.
Rafael takes a step back in order to look at the broader picture and writes that the character of recent writings regarding colonialism and photography are vengeful in character. This is so because in looking at these photos, one cannot help but see the violence that accompanied their production. He asks "seeing [the photographs] by looking away from them, regarding them as mere appearances that carry messages whose meanings are already laid out in advance, do we not also submit to the force of a colonial reading practice that we might have wanted to expose and negate?" Here one is reminded of Nietzsche’s dictum that “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he become one.”
In summary, Vergara’s book presents us with a new perspective with which to view this turbulent period in our nation’s history. Photographs as historical documents must be critically analysed in order for hidden meanings to surface. The production of these photographs was not objective since they were used to promote the ideology of American supremacy. But we must also be careful not to read too much meaning into these images, for as Rafael warned, we might simply be copying what the colonialists did a century ago.
Oct 23, '09
-------------------------
When we think today of photographs we think of family gatherings, a day on the beach with friends and other fun things. On the other more sophisticated end, we think of art exhibits showcasing the latest photographic techniques, elaborate lightings and other such stuff. It never occurs to us unless we closely study the history of photography, that this seemingly benign technology was used for domination.
This aspect is what Benito M. Vergara Jr. explores in his 'Displaying Filipinos: Colonialism and Photography in Early Twentieth Century Philippines.' The book was published in 1995 when the author was twenty-five years old and completing his doctoral degree in Anthropology at Cornell.
The short Introduction is entitled the 'Kodak Zone' and is a reference to a work by Frank D. Millet, a correspondent for Harper's Weekly who wrote of his experience in the Philippines in the late nineteenth century. The particular passage is itself from the introduction of Millet's book 'The Expedition to the Philippines.'
According to Vergara, American interest in the Philippines was twofold: imperial ambition or benevolent assimilation and search for adventure in an idealized exotic setting. Millet tells us that adventure books were not enough to satiate the desires of the populace. To be truly 'seen' these newly colonized faraway places (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and then the Philippines) had to be photographed, and thus brought into the 'Kodak zone.'
Vergara then examines the relationship between truth and photography. We are introduced to the idea that the power of the photograph lies in its being equated with an objective, accurate and unbiased representation of reality. Here, Vergara tells us, lies the capacity of the photograph to deceive, since photography is not that objective at all.
There are many factors that affect how a photograph is to be seen and interpreted. The simple fact that a caption is placed under a photograph already imposes upon us a limitation of the possible amount of interpretation that we can do. In the production of the photograph itself this idea can be seen. How the subjects are posed and the reason why they are in such a position and why they are photographed in the first place all contribute to the argument against the objectivity of photographs.
To what purpose then were these photographs used? In the context of the American occupation of the Philippines, these photographs, according to Vergara served to substantiate the Manifest Destiny narrative. The photographs disseminated the idea that the Filipinos are in need of civilization and that this civilization could only be provided by the United States. A rather curious series of images analyzed in the book shows the transformation of an Igorot man upon entering the Constabulary force from "wild" to "civilized." In the first image on the left, the man is shown wearing his native headgear, his hair long and his upper body totally bare. The next photo on the right shows the same man in the same pose, though this time he is clothed, his hair is short and is wearing a uniform. The third photo finally shows him in complete uniform, his native headgear now replaced with a military regulation cap.
Another purpose of these photographs is possession. This act of possession is linked with the development of the postcard which highlighted the image more than the text. The postcard, according to Vergara, is a commoditisation of the images of the objectified subjects, the Filipinos. By buying these images, the average American citizen symbolically owns the Philippines and its native inhabitants.
The sixth chapter 'On Display' looks at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition whose centrepiece was the Philippine Reservation. For this spectacle, the American organizers gathered several natives from various parts of the Philippines to recreate for the American visitors their various tribal ceremonies. The natives followed a regimented schedule where special ceremonies reserved only for special occasions such as the initiation of a chieftain, are played out daily in order to satisfy the gaze of the exposition's visitors. This exposition is crucial according to Vergara since it shows the different American groups: government, academic, private enterprise come together in order to display an image of the Philippines. The exposition, simply put is a display to the world not just of the Filipinos, but of the American imperial might that allowed for the exposition to take place in the first place.
Death must be the very last thing in our minds when we think of photographs. Yet Vergara discusses the connection between death and photography in his book. Regarding the taking of photographs of dead Filipino insurgents Vergara states, “These photographs were not just taken for documentary purposes; they were used to display the technological supremacy of the colonial power for American readers by strewing the pages with the dead.” This connection with death is further emphasized in a work by Filipino author Vicente Rafael entitled ‘White Love and Other Events in Filipino History,’ which was published five years after Vergara’s book. The third chapter of the book which deals with photography is entitled ‘The Undead: Notes on Photography in the Philippines.’ Vergara sees the Americans who took the photographs of dead Filipinos as ‘tourists of their own violence,’ comparing a photo of such to that of a hunter posing with the animal that he has just killed. Rafael on the other hand sees a somewhat different picture.
Rafael takes a step back in order to look at the broader picture and writes that the character of recent writings regarding colonialism and photography are vengeful in character. This is so because in looking at these photos, one cannot help but see the violence that accompanied their production. He asks "seeing [the photographs] by looking away from them, regarding them as mere appearances that carry messages whose meanings are already laid out in advance, do we not also submit to the force of a colonial reading practice that we might have wanted to expose and negate?" Here one is reminded of Nietzsche’s dictum that “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he become one.”
In summary, Vergara’s book presents us with a new perspective with which to view this turbulent period in our nation’s history. Photographs as historical documents must be critically analysed in order for hidden meanings to surface. The production of these photographs was not objective since they were used to promote the ideology of American supremacy. But we must also be careful not to read too much meaning into these images, for as Rafael warned, we might simply be copying what the colonialists did a century ago.
Oct 23, '09
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