In its earliest days, photography was seen as depicting its subjects with such objectivity as to be inherently free of ideological bias. Today we are rightly more skeptical -- at least most of the tim
In its earliest days, photography was seen as depicting its subjects with such objectivity as to be inherently free of ideological bias. Today we are rightly more skeptical -- at least most of the time. When it comes to photography from the past, we tend to set some of our skepticism aside. But should we?
In Light on Darkness? T. Jack Thompson, a leading historian of African Christianity, revisits the body of photography generated by British missionaries to sub-Saharan Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and demonstrates that much more is going on in these images than meets the eye. This volume offers a careful reassessment of missionary photographers, their photographs, and their African and European audiences. Several dozen fascinating photographs from the period are included.
International Bulletin of Missionary Research's Outstanding Books of 2012 for Missionary Research
American Historical Review
“A useful contribution to the historiography of missions, the history of photography, and African history, and will appeal to readers outside the confines of these areas of specialization.”
International Bulletin of Missionary Research
“This volume makes a necessary contribution . . . . It is well worth reading.”
Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae
“Provides us with new ways of seeing into the past and adds to the variety of sources we have to produce a more comprehensive view of history.”
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