Calling the Shots

Historically, photographs of Indigenous Australians were produced in unequal and exploitative circumstances. Today, however, such images represent a rich cultural heritage for descendants, who see them in distinctive and positive ways. Calling the shots brings together researchers who are using this rich archive to explore Aboriginal history, to identify relatives, and to reclaim culture. It reverses the colonial gaze to focus on the interactions...
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Historically, photographs of Indigenous Australians were produced in unequal and exploitative circumstances. Today, however, such images represent a rich cultural heritage for descendants, who see them in distinctive and positive ways. Calling the shots brings together researchers who are using this rich archive to explore Aboriginal history, to identify relatives, and to reclaim culture. It reverses the colonial gaze to focus on the interactions between photographer and Indigenous people -- and the living meanings the photos have today. The result is a fresh perspective on Australia's past, and on present-day Indigenous identities.

'The volume provides an unprecedented platform for Aboriginal Australians to voice their perspectives about photography and present their own research and/or photographic collections ... as a reader/viewer, you cannot but marvel at the palpable connection between the photographer and the photographed.' -Marianne Riphagen, Oceania, vol. 85, issue 1, 2015