Review of Light on darkness? Missionary photography of Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

Quanchi, Alan M. (2013) Review of Light on darkness? Missionary photography of Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. [Book Review or Scholarly Comment]

Microsoft Word - Submitted Version Download (19kB)

Abstract

A vast number of photographs were taken by missionaries in Africa, or by expedition, professional and amateur photographers visiting mission stations. T. Jack Thompson asks why these photographs were taken, and how they were read by audiences in Africa, Europe, and the United States. He also asks how recent theory and debate in the field of the history of photography can be applied to the huge archive of mission photography. Thompson addresses this latter question in the introductory and final chapter, while presenting five case studies in the body of the book. The result is a collection of essays offering answers to his central questions: who took mission photographs, why, and for what purpose? Light on Darkness is an easy book to read, chatty in format and based on some impressive archival research.

Item Type:	Book Review or Scholarly Comment
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE)
Depositing User:	Generic Account
Date Deposited:	18 Jul 2013 04:30
Last Modified:	22 Jun 2016 21:54
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/5905

Actions (login required)

View Item