[audiobook] Afterimage of Empire: Photography in Nineteenth-Century India by Zahid R. Chaudhary in Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Dense. but worth the read.By C. DunbarA bit dense. very academic. but the historical overview is fantastic. the images are evocative. and when its telling a story. its effectively on point. Its biggest drawback are the points when it delves into conceptual and theoretical discussions: they are extremely well argued and meticulously researched. just hard to process. requiring multiple read throughs to successfully grasp. When the book explains historical developments and socio-political actions revolving around the use of photography. you will find yourself taking notes for further reference into this fascinating period of Indian history.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Highly recommendBy OsmoThis is the kind of smart and savvy book about colonial photography that some of us have been waiting for! There have been a lot of good historical studies that lacked theoretical innovation. and lots of theorizing about photography without a sense of its historical grounding. This book manages to do both. and while its based in empirical research it doesnt just present new evidence but it shows how the photographic "evidence" contributes to our understandings of sense perception. truth. and imperialism. For an academic study. this book is actually a pleasure to read. and yet Chaudhary doesnt sacrifice any of the complexities of his theoretical argument about photography and colonialism. What I found so helpful here was the authors discussion of phenomenology in the context of colonial history. but this book also manages to cover a lot of related ground: photographic meaning as a kind of rhetoric. war photographys aesthetic effects. the differential meanings of aesthetic and technological forms as they travel around the globe. the complexities of sympathy in photographs of human suffering. If youre looking for a basic history of photography in India. this book wont be your cup of tea (check out James Ryans and Christopher Pinneys books). but if youre looking for something more original. I highly recommend this book.