Understanding Social Images - (Methodology & History in Anthropology) by Marcus Banks & David Zeitlyn & Chihab El Khachab (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Marcus Banks was one of the scholars who changed the way visual anthropology and visual methods were regarded in social and cultural anthropology. This collection of Banks' essays considers the role of collaboration in the making of ethnographic films and makes the case for slow research. It discusses the meaning of anthropological research in film archives and illustrates how to analyse a wide range of visual material like maps, diagrams and enigmatic photographs. It situates Banks' work in contemporary visual anthropology and Howard Morphy's Afterword explores how Banks' work helped illuminate his own collaboration with the filmmaker Ian Dunlop in aboriginal Australia"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Marcus Banks was one of the scholars who changed the way visual anthropology and visual methods were regarded in social and cultural anthropology. This collection of Banks' essays considers the role of collaboration in the making of ethnographic films and makes the case for slow research. It discusses the meaning of anthropological research in film archives and illustrates how to analyse a wide range of visual material like maps, diagrams and enigmatic photographs. It situates Banks' work in contemporary visual anthropology and Howard Morphy's Afterword explores how Banks' work helped illuminate his own collaboration with the filmmaker Ian Dunlop in aboriginal Australia.

Review Quotes

"This book ambitiously addresses a wide array of topics, including ethical issues and presents a diverse range of perspectives." - Aleksandra Gracjasz, Leiden University

About the Author

Chihab El Khachab is Associate Professor in Visual Anthropology at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wolfson College. His most recent publication is Making Film in Egypt: How Labor, Technology, and Mediation Shape the Industry (Cairo Press, 2021).