“他者”的图像表征:世界新闻摄影大赛中的中国形象研究(1967—2022)

The Image Representation of"The Other":A Study of China's Image in World Press Photo Contest(1967-2022)

依循表征理论,文章基于1967—2022年世界新闻摄影大赛(World Press Photo,简称“荷赛”)所有包含中国元素的获奖摄影作品,对其宏观、中观、微观三个层面的表意框架进行了量化分析。研究发现,荷赛对中国的表征在不同历史时期虽呈现出阶段性特质,但整体上一直视中国为“他者”,基于猎奇视角,持续建构神秘且社会问题重重的发展中国家形象。文章将荷赛表征中国的结果看作一组特定历史时空内的受制于权力关系的话语实践,认为中国与西方国家在意识形态层面的博弈,西方观照中国的东方主义视角与中国立场的缺失,是导致荷赛对中国进行单向度建构与呈现的主要原因。

This study mainly depends on representation theory to quantitatively analyzes the semantic framework of all award-winning photography works containing Chinese elements in World Press Photo Contest(WPP)between 1955 and 2021 at three levels:macro,meso,and micro.Research finds that although the representation of China in WPP shows phased characteristics in different historical periods,the overall representation still takes China as "the Other"in orientalism based on the perspective of curiosity,and continuously constructs a mysterious and socially problematic image of a developing country.This article views the results of the WPP as a set of discourse practices constrained by power relations within a specific historical time and space.It argues that the ideological game between China and western countries,the perspective of orientalism in western observation of China,and the lack of Chinese stance are the main reasons for the one-way construction and representation of China by WPP.