| Popis: |
This introduction outlines the main theoretical, methodological, and empirical goals of the book, which are argued in more detail (and with more references) in later chapters. It explains how visual images need to be appreciated not just in terms of their ideological-value, but also in terms of their affect-work: not just what they mean, but also how they make us feel, both as individuals and as collectives. It outlines the book’s original analytical framework, which juxtaposes (1) the social construction of visual meaning with (2) the visual provocation of social orders, world orders, and “affective communities of sense.” It introduces the image/artifact distinction to explain why the book looks at both images (photographs, films, and art) and artifacts (maps, veils, walls, gardens, and cyberspace). Since much critical analysis is dominated by deconstructions of “Western” visual images, the introduction starts to examine how visuals from Asia and the Middle East challenge our understanding of international politics. It concludes with a summary of what the chapters cover. |
