The Insubordination of Photography: Documentary Practices under Chile's Dictatorship (Reframing Media, Technology, and Culture in Latin/o America)

The Insubordination of Photography studies the documentary practices of photography devised by different collectives (relatives of the detained-disappeared, church organizations, visual artists, and photographers), organizations, and independent media, which resisted, defied, and participated in the downfall of the dictatorial regime in Chile. Given a milieu saturated by disinformation and cover-ups of all kinds and restricted by repression and censorship, how does one demand and make visible the truth about the (denied) crime of forced disappearances under Pinochet’s Chilean dictatorship? At a moment when resistance was gaining more prevalence on the streets and in the independent media, how could one ensure the safety of independent photographers and challenge censorship? How does one convey denunciation when images are prohibited? The objects studied in this book emerged as answers to these pressing questions. Different documentary practices of photography were devised to make visible the crime of forced disappearances in the public space (chapter one), to produce a credible visual record of forensic evidence in a paramount legal case (chapter two), to denounce and resist precarity and protect the work of independent photographers and reporters (chapter three), and to challenge—and ridicule—censorship and the limitations imposed on freedom of the press (chapter four). These practices not only changed the depth of field, which the dictatorship attempted to control by all necessary means, but also, and perhaps more importantly, strengthened the ideology and the public space of the opposition while expanding the photographic field. "After Augusto Pinochet rose to power in Chile in 1973, his government abducted, abused, and executed thousands of his political opponents. The Insubordination of Photography is the first book to analyze how various collectives, organizations, and independent media used photography to expose and protest the crimes of Pinochet's authoritarian regime. Ángeles Donoso Macaya discusses the ways human rights groups such as the Vicariate of Solidarity used portraits of missing persons in order to make forced disappearances visible. She also calls attention to forensic photographs that served as incriminating evidence of government killings in the landmark Lonquén case. Donoso Macaya argues that the field of documentary photography in Chile was challenged and shaped by the precariousness of the nation's politics and economics and shows how photojournalists found creative ways to challenge limitations imposed on the freedom of the press. In a culture saturated by disinformation and cover-ups and restricted by repression and censorship, photography became an essential tool to bring the truth to light. Featuring never-before-seen photographs and other archival material, this book reflects on the integral role of images in public memory and issues of reparation and justice." -- Publisher's description "After Augusto Pinochet rose to power in Chile in 1973, his government abducted, abused, and executed thousands of his political opponents. The Insubordination of Photography is the first book to analyze how various collectives, organizations, and independent media used photography to expose and protest the crimes of Pinochet's authoritarian regime. Ángeles Donoso Macaya discusses the ways human rights groups such as the Vicariate of Solidarity used portraits of missing persons in order to make forced disappearances visible. She also calls attention to forensic photographs that served as incriminating evidence of government killings in the landmark Lonquén case. Donoso Macaya argues that the field of documentary photography in Chile was challenged and shaped by the precariousness of the nation's politics and economics and shows how photojournalists found creative ways to challenge limitations imposed on the freedom of the press. In a culture saturated by disinformation and cover-ups and restricted by repression and censorship, photography became an essential tool to bring the truth to light. Featuring never-before-seen photographs and other archival material, this book reflects on the integral role of images in public memory and issues of reparation and justice." -- Page 4 de la couverture The Insubordination of Photography is the first book to analyze how various collectives, organizations, and independent media used photography to expose and protest the crimes of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime. Featuring never-before-seen photos and other archival material, this book reflects on the integral role of images in public memory and issues of reparation and justice. Cover Title Page Copyright Page CONTENTS List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction: Adjusting the Depth of Field 1. Persistence of the Portrait 2. Forensic Matter 3. Emergence of a Field 4. Photography Off Limits 5. Epilogue Notes Works Cited Index