Shine
The Visual Economy of Light in African Diasporic Aesthetic Practice
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Duke University Press
Published:2nd Mar '15
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£89.00(9780822357940)
This insightful exploration reveals how African diasporic youth use photography to communicate identities and connect with their communities in Shine.
In Shine, art historian Krista Thompson explores the intricate relationship between photographic practices and self-representation among African diasporic youth in the Caribbean and the United States. She delves into how these young individuals utilize the act of creating images as a means to assert their identities in the public sphere. Through her analysis, Thompson reveals that the process of engaging with the camera is often more significant than the final photographic product itself.
Thompson illustrates this concept through vivid examples, such as the fierce competition for visibility in Jamaican dancehalls, where dancers may resort to skin bleaching to enhance their chances of being seen. In contrast, she describes the grand entrances of tuxedoed students at Bahamian proms, who arrive in elaborately customized cars, ensuring that their moments are captured for posterity. These scenarios highlight the lengths to which individuals go to curate their public personas, often influenced by hip-hop culture and the visual aesthetics associated with it.
Throughout Shine, Thompson argues that the images produced serve as a form of memory, modernity, and social status, facilitating cultural formation within and among African diasporic communities. By seeking the camera's light, these youth not only communicate their identities but also connect with others in their communities, reinforcing the importance of visual representation in contemporary society.
"Thompson’s study of light is nuanced and generative. . . . the structure of each section encourages the reader to embrace a protean reading practice, one that resists firmly embracing a single understanding of light, and of its affects and effects. The result is a powerful project that stands to impact multiple fields, while at the same time challenging how we see and understand black visual practices. In the end, Shine succeeds in reconstituting the very terms of photography and visual technology and their role in the diaspora." -- Autumn Marie Womack * SX Salon *
"Shine provides important illumination; it shows that nonelite culture holds up to serious academic scrutiny. Particularly given their reach and popularity, the practices Thompson brings to light cannot go overlooked and unanalyzed." -- John A. Tyson * CAA Reviews *
"Ultimately, Shine is a useful application of tools from the field of art history to popular culture and presentation of self in the technological age.... Cultural anthropologists, sociologists specializing in cultural aspects of race and ethnicity, and scholars of media would find this text a valuable read."
-- Deinya Phenix * Visual Studies *
"Shine, by Krista Thompson, presents a compelling investigation into the transnational aesthetics of hip-hop, bridging distinct visual practices, artistic forms, and modes of visibility in the African diaspora. Situating her work within art history, Thompson provides rich, multisited ethnographic research that spans the United States, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, allowing her to interrogate the intersecting cultures, histories, and media flows of the geopolitical region known as the circum-Caribbean. From street photography in New York to Jamaican dancehall videos, Thompson brings into dialogue disparate visual and embodied practices to provide a thought-provoking study on the mediation of the African diaspora in the circum-Caribbean." -- Eryn Snyder Berger * American Anthropologist *
ISBN: 9780822358077
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 748g
368 pages