In order to assess Roland Barthes＇ argument that interpretation of photography depends on cultural codes embeddedtherein, a collection of photos from the Japanese Government-General of Ch6sen （GGC）, which controlle...In order to assess Roland Barthes＇ argument that interpretation of photography depends on cultural codes embeddedtherein, a collection of photos from the Japanese Government-General of Ch6sen （GGC）, which controlled Korea1910-1945, were examined. These colonial images and associated text, commonly in English, were aimed primarilyat the West, with which the Japanese sought alignment. Of the three common categories of GGC photos, ＂scientific＂or ＂anthropological＂ images corresponded with portrayals by Western colonial powers of the supposed inferiornature of subjugated peoples and cultures. Individuals in such pictures tend to lose their identities and are reducedto a stereotype, less human than the observer. ＂Before and after＂ photos depicted alleged GGC progress in suchareas as education and infrastructure. Pictures of ＂happy colonial subjects＂ conveyed an impression of Koreansenjoying the benevolence of the new administration. While this photojournalism favorably impressed someWesterners, others employed images of the 1919 Korean uprising, and its suppression, to discredit the Japanese.The overall assessment demonstrates the polemical manipulation of photography.展开更多
文摘In order to assess Roland Barthes＇ argument that interpretation of photography depends on cultural codes embeddedtherein, a collection of photos from the Japanese Government-General of Ch6sen （GGC）, which controlled Korea1910-1945, were examined. These colonial images and associated text, commonly in English, were aimed primarilyat the West, with which the Japanese sought alignment. Of the three common categories of GGC photos, ＂scientific＂or ＂anthropological＂ images corresponded with portrayals by Western colonial powers of the supposed inferiornature of subjugated peoples and cultures. Individuals in such pictures tend to lose their identities and are reducedto a stereotype, less human than the observer. ＂Before and after＂ photos depicted alleged GGC progress in suchareas as education and infrastructure. Pictures of ＂happy colonial subjects＂ conveyed an impression of Koreansenjoying the benevolence of the new administration. While this photojournalism favorably impressed someWesterners, others employed images of the 1919 Korean uprising, and its suppression, to discredit the Japanese.The overall assessment demonstrates the polemical manipulation of photography.
