Universität Wien

142206 UE Visual popular culture (2022S)

Continuous assessment of course work

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 24 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes

Fr, 11:00-12:30, SR 5, beginning 4.3.


Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The vibrant and diverse visual popular culture of India has increasingly become the subject of innovative, transdisciplinary and critical investigations in cultural studies in recent years. The consideration of the diversity and development of popular image culture since the introduction of mass reproduction techniques in the 19th century provides an insight into the changing viewing habits and values in the late colonial period as well as the phase of postcolonial renewal.
The aim of the course is to trace the most important phases of development on the basis of concrete image samples and to analyse and interpret the visual language within the framework of its socio-historical conditions. While Western influences played an important role, especially in the initial phase, an independent visual culture soon emerged, which used specific forms of marketing and appealed to a broad audience. The analysis of the images shows an idiosyncratic fusion of traditional elements and modern ideas in different historical contexts. For example, it deals with the role of religious motifs in the so-called "calendar art" or other forms of advertising, the creation of national symbols in the freedom movement or the use of traditional image patterns in political propaganda.
Numerous different approaches were used in the interpretation of the images, including art-historical, cultural anthropological, socio-historical or media-theoretical. An important part of the work will be a critical examination of the different methods, concepts and theories.

Topics
• Popular culture and art in South Asia
• Printing techniques and traditional popular art in the 19th century
• Photography
• Raja Ravi Varma
• Gender issues
• Religion and politics
• Religious iconography
• Nationalism
• Advertisement
• Film posters

Assessment and permitted materials

The assessment is based on regular participation, preparation through reading and active participation, two short presentations (50%) and a term paper (50%). Teaching material is partly provided on Moodle.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Regular attendance (not more than three missed units).
Grade 4 ("sufficient") in total evaluation.

Examination topics

Reading list

Brosius, Christiane. 2005. Empowering visions: the politics of representation in Hindu nationalism. London: Anthem Press.

Jain, Jyotindra. 2004. Indian popular culture. New Delhi: National Gallery of Modern Art.

Jain, Kajri. 2007. Gods in the bazaar: the economies of Indian calendar art. Durham: Duke University Press.

Neumayer, Erwin and Christine Schelberger. 2003. Popular Indian Art: Raja Ravi Varma and the printed gods of India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Neumayer, Erwin and Christine Schelberger. 2007. Bharat Mata: calendar art and India's freedom struggle. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Pinney, Christopher. 1997. Camera Indica: the social life of Indian photographs. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Pinney, Christopher. 2004. Photos of the gods: the printed image and political struggle in India. London: Reaktion Books.

Ramaswamy, Sumathi. 2002. Beyond appearances? Visual practices and ideologies in modern India, Contributions to Indian Sociology, Special Issue 36 (1-2).

Sen, Geeti. 2002. Feminine fables: imaging the Indian woman in painting, photography and cinema. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing.

Uberoi, Patricia. 2006. Freedom and destiny: gender, family, and popular culture in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Association in the course directory

IMAK5A (UE), IMAK5B (UE)

Last modified: Th 03.03.2022 15:28