This symposium will reflect on how and why we use the term “documentary” to
describe photography today. In what ways are artists, scholars, and curators thinking
about documentary photography? How are photographers dealing with the
evidentiary function of their pictures while notions of authenticity and truth are
broadly challenged by political conflicts and new media? How do those pictures shape
our understanding of contemporary human rights, and their violations, across the
globe? Might we also speak of documentary photography as a style unlinked to the
medium’s social functions? Participants will include photographer Nina Berman, Mary
Panzer (NYU), and Sharon Sliwinski (University of Western Ontario), with respondent
Diane Neumaier (Rutgers).
Friday, December 7, 2012
10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Alexander Library
Teleconference Lecture Hall
169 College Avenue