nazari, mehrana (2025) Through a colonial lens: photography, orientalism, and the middle east. Undergraduate paper. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Photography has played a pivotal role in constructing and reinforcing Orientalist narratives about the Middle East. This paper investigates how 19th and early 20th-century European photographers, such as Félix Bonfils and Rudolph Carl Huber, contributed to colonial depictions of the region, shaping Western perceptions through staged and stereotypical imagery. Drawing from Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism, this study examines how these images framed the Middle East as exotic, timeless, and inferior to the West. In contrast, local photographers like Aqa Reza Akasbashi and Ashraf Os-Saltaneh documented their communities with authenticity, challenging Eurocentric portrayals. By analyzing the contrast between these photographic traditions, this research underscores the role of photography as both a tool of imperial ideology and a medium for cultural self-representation, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of historical and contemporary visual narratives.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	I am an undergraduate student at OCAD University, and my sponsor for my research paper is Professor Andrew Gayed
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Orientalism Colonial photography Middle Eastern representation Félix Bonfils Eurocentrism in art Photography and imperialism
Divisions:	Faculty of Art > Photography Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > Art History
Date Deposited:	13 Mar 2025 15:07
Last Modified:	31 Mar 2025 09:16
URI:	https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4620

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