Joyce D. Hammond

Photography and Ambivalence

Although scant attention has been devoted to the anthropological ‘crisis in representation’ of creating still images as part of anthropological research, several contemporary women anthropologists have written of their misgivings. In this paper, I examine the ideas and photographic practices of Ruth Behar, Lila Abu‐Lughod, Serena Nanda, Barbara Tedlock, Kristen Hastrup and Nancy Scheper‐Hughes, all of whom hold ambivalent attitudes toward photography. I will identify common concerns as well as strengths acknowledged by them. Also, I will examine new ways in which they and a number of other anthropologists are re‐visioning photographic practices and creating more equitable relationships between researchers and subjects.

Visualizing themselves: Tongan videography in Utah 1

This paper examines the process and product of video visualizations made by and for Tongan immigrants in Salt Lake City, Utah. Videographers and other members of the Tongan community collaborate on videos of events such as birthdays, weddings, funerals, and fund‐raising dances. Through video recording, editing, and viewing processes, they have many opportunities to create images of themselves within American society. The videos, prized among Utah Tongans and often sent to relatives in the islands, reflect their values and ideals. Here, I offer my examination of Tongan videography as a new approach to understanding others through their own visualizations.

Photography, Tourism and the Kodak Hula Show

The sixty‐four year old Kodak Hula Show1 is one of the oldest staged tourist performances in the world. Created for the benefit of tourists wishing to take pictures of hula dancers, the event has always promoted photography as a naturalized, integral part of the tourist experience. The show and the tourists’ photography complement one another in establishing and reinforcing Eastman Kodaks, tourists’ and performers’ goals. Performers’ ideology, Kodaks promotional ploys, and tourist expectations shape the construction, memorialization, and idealization of Hawaiian culture as presented in the show. The performance itself is mirrored and extended in the photographic goals of tourists. The strong emphasis placed on tourists and photography at the show is a major element in the events association with kitsch. An examination of the Kodak Hula Show and the tourist photography it promotes provides insights into reasons that performative events for tourists are so often linked with and well‐suited to the photographic aims of tourists.

Photography and the “natives”: Examining the hidden curriculum of photographs in introductory anthropology texts

Although most introductory anthropology textbooks are filled with photographic images, a reflexive discussion of the purpose of placing photographs within the books is lacking. Since texts’ images are a powerful and pervasive means of communication, anthropologists and students alike need to critically examine messages that the photographs and their captions may convey. In this article, I examine two genres of textbook photographs that can elucidate the use of photographs in general within introductory anthropology texts. Both sets of images depict processes and uses of photography that are of interest to anthropologists. One set shows “natives” looking at Polaroid photographs of themselves; the other set depicts “natives” using photographic equipment for their own purposes. While both image genres can be deconstructed for specific details about image‐making and anthropological subjects, they also constitute part of a “hidden curriculum” of placing photographs in introductory texts. Beneath the ostensibly...

Existential and object authenticity in Southwestern pottery: Intertwined and complementary

A much discussed concept, authenticity is still very important to collectors and museums in 2013 with respect to Native American art, but few have examined the dynamic between artist and buyer in relation to how concepts of authenticity affect the exchange. Useful here is a constructivist approach that examines authenticity with respect to local perceptions, values and setting. Existential authenticity is revealed through statements by the potters of Santa Clara and San Ildefonso Pueblos, New Mexico, and object authenticity is derived from attributes of the pot and potter partly from online advertisements for 571 pots. The proxies for existential values predict 39 per cent of the cash value of the pot. Ongoing discussions among all the stakeholders preceding juried competitions conserve potters’ values and support artist agency. These values, as expressed in the pottery, are likely part of buyers’ attraction to the pottery.