POLITICISING DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Abstract

This essay provides a contextualised account of social documentary photography in Taiwan during the second half of the 1980s and a critical review of Ren Jian magazine within a case study of Guan Xiao-rong`s Dignity und Humiliation. The latter emerges as an exemplary documentary work on the socio-political issues of an ethnic group of indigenous Taiwanese. The essay suggests that Guan`s mixed position of documentary photographer and campaign activist made his photographs a distinctive and rare humanistic contribution with a politicised dimension.

Članek obravnava socialno dokumentarno fotografijo na Tajvanu v drugi polovici osemdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja in kritično ocenjuje časopis Ren Jian s študijo o fotografijah Guan Xiaoronga o dostojanstvu in ponižanju. Fotografije so primer dokumentarnega dela na socialno-političnem področju med avtohtono tajvansko etnično skupino. Članek predstavlja Guana kot dokumentarnega fotografa in aktivista, kar je iz njegovih fotografij napravilo nevsakdanji humanistični prispevek s politično razsežnostjo.