Photography and Evidence

The Public Image is a new book by my Northwestern colleague Robert Hariman (and his coauthor John Louis Lucaites). Of interest to lawyers and law professors is the discussion of the reliability of photography and the problem of fraudulent representation, as well as other issues of "civic spectatorship."

Here is a longer description from the book jacket:

Even as the media environment has changed dramatically in recent years, one thing at least remains true: photographs are everywhere. From professional news photos to smartphone selfies, images have become part of the fabric of modern life. And that may be the problem. Even as photography bears witness, it provokes anxieties about fraudulent representation; even as it evokes compassion, it prompts anxieties about excessive exposure. Parents and pundits alike worry about the unprecedented media saturation that transforms society into an image world. And yet a great news photo can still stop us in our tracks, and the ever-expanding photographic archive documents an era of continuous change.

By confronting these conflicted reactions to photography, Robert Hariman and John Louis Lucaites make the case for a fundamental shift in understanding photography and public culture. In place of suspicions about the medium’s capacity for distraction, deception, and manipulation, they suggest how it can provide resources for democratic communication and thoughtful reflection about contemporary social problems.

The key to living well in the image world is to unlock photography from viewing habits that inhibit robust civic spectatorship. Through insightful interpretations of dozens of news images, The Public Image reveals how the artistry of the still image can inform, challenge, and guide reflection regarding endemic violence, environmental degradation, income inequity, and other chronic problems that will define the twenty-first century.

By shifting from conventional suspicions to a renewed encounter with the image, we are challenged to see more deeply on behalf of a richer life for all, and to acknowledge our obligations as spectators who are, crucially, also citizens.

Comments

[Daniel S. Goldberg]

There's some excellent historiography on the epistemic issues and anxieties surrounding the entry of the photograph into American legal culture.

I'm writing an intellectual history of the X-ray, and I go over some of this in detail (I also have a prior history pub on X-rays and the law).

Can post links if you are interested.

[John Lucaites]

You are probably familiar with Richard Sherwin's Visualizing Law in the Age of the Digital Baroque: Arabesques & Entanglements ... but I find it an interesting and useful project. And yes, please post links as to work you are doing, esp. concerning the epistemic issues/anxieties of the photograph in legal contexts.