Myths and binaries in discourses on Japanese photography

Abstract

In this paper I examine how Western discourse on Japanese photography has been dominated by the use of myths, binary oppositions and a crude understanding of cultural translation. Instead of reaffirming often incorrectly perceived cultural boundaries and moving away from assumed preconceptions, I propose that a new set of paradigms is needed in order to analize and disseminate Japanese photography. While I focus my analysis on exhibition catalogues and books on Japanese photography, I believe that the discursive formation described throughout this paper has far wider reaching implications than just those concerning photography. Indeed, this paper is not only about the perception of Japanese photography in the West, but beyond that, how the construction of “Japan as Image,” such as in photographs, directly feeds into a highly problematic discourse that relies on the constant binarization of a topographical, linguistic and cultural Other.