Acknowledgments; List of Illustrations; Introduction: "Follow the Americans"; 1. Compassion and Critique: Vietnam; 2. Pictures from Revolutions: Iran, Nicaragua, El Salvador; 3. Unseen Wars and Humanitarian Visions: Somalia, the Gulf, the Balkans; 4. Visualizing the War on Terror: Afghanistan, Iraq, the United States; Conclusion: The Costs of War; Notes; Index
Summary
'Afterimages' maps the evolving relations between the American way of war and photographic coverage of it. Organised in its first section around key US military actions over the last 50 years, it then moves on to examine how photographers engaged with these conflicts on wider ethical and political grounds, before finally exploring the genre of photojournalism itself. Illustrated throughout with examples of the photographs being considered, it argues that photographs are important means for critical reflection on war, violence and human rights, and analyses the high ethical, sociopolitical and legalistic value we place on the still image's ability to bear witness and stimulate action