Exoticism in Photography

Jean Mohr, Bandung-Jakarta, December 1973

Authors

  • Seno Gumira Ajidarma Fakultas Film dan Televisi Institut Kesenian Jakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52290/i.v15i2.199

Keywords:

Exoticism, Colonization, Postcolonial Critics

Abstract

Historically, the age of colonisation constructs the cultural map of the world, which, after decolonisation, gives way to exotic views, which, through postcolonial criticism, arrive in Segalen’s thought, called symbolist exoticism. This concept is useful for discussing Jean Mohr’s photographs taken from inside a Pullman carriage on his journey from Bandung to Jakarta in December 1973. This article is a preliminary attempt to uncover the cultural construct behind the exotic moments of specific-movements captured by Jean Mohr’s camera.

Author Biography

Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Fakultas Film dan Televisi Institut Kesenian Jakarta

was born in 1958. Writes fiction and non-fiction, in mass media, social media and scientific journals; worked as a journalist since 1977, received a number of literary awards, taught at various universities. Recent books: Kalacitra: Kumpulan Esai Fotografi (2022), Film and Postnationalism (2023).

References

Book

Barker, Chris. The SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies. London-Thousand Oaks-New Delhi: Sage Publications Ltd, 2004.

Barry, Peter. “Postcolonial criticism” in Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 2002.

Berger, John, Jean Mohr, and Nicholas Philibert. Another Way of Telling. New York: Vintage Books, 1995.

Segalen, Victor. Essay on Exoticism: An Aesthetic of Diversity. Translated from French by Yael Rachel Schlick. Durham: Duke University Press, 2002.

Online Article

Thomas, Olivier Germain. “Reportage: a form of exorcism. How do you free yourself from a haunting when you’re a photographer?”. France Culture, 1992 (https://jeanmohr.ch/itineraire/reportages-forme-d-exorcisme).

Van Alphen, Ernst. “Exoticism or the Translation of Cultural Difference” in Espacio Tiempo y Forma Serie VII Historia del Arte. Madrid: Universidad Nacional De Educaclon as Distancia, 2016.

All photographs © 1982 Jean Mohr

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Published

2024-07-31

How to Cite

Ajidarma, S. G. (2024). Exoticism in Photography: Jean Mohr, Bandung-Jakarta, December 1973. IMAJI, 15(2), 86–96. https://doi.org/10.52290/i.v15i2.199