CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Czinkóczi, Anita |
|---|---|
| Title | VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF ROMA IN CONTEMPORARY HUNGARIAN PHOTOGRAPHY |
| Summary | In this thesis I explore how the current photographic discourse is shaped about Roma in Hungary. Photography is a particularly interesting system of representation to consider, due to the fact that the photograph is still considered as a representation rather than an interpretation of reality. By using the photo database of the Chachipe on-line photo competitions, I argue that the photographic discourse constructs Roma identity predominantly along the lines of poverty, marginalization or a romanticized imagination of Romani culture. An image-based analysis of photographs characteristic of this discourse provides insights into some of the strategies that are used by photographers to construct meaning about Roma. I demonstrate how that meaning reflects, and at the same time maintains the broader discourse about Roma as the marginalized “Other” in the current socio-economic context. Finally, based on semi-structured interviews with photographers, I discuss the ethical and professional considerations that shape the representation of Roma communities. These are defined by a moral call to contribute to social change, and build to a large extent on the photographic conventions of the 1990s. The field of photography allows rather limited influence for Roma communities to shape the discourse about their own identity. |
| Supervisor | Vlad Naumescu, Prem Kumar Rajaram |
| Department | Sociology MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/czinkoczi_anita.pdf |
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