Estudios de Teoría Literaria (Nov 2020)
Images that disturb: a reflection on the politics of images based on a chronicle by Martín Caparrós
Abstract
This article will discussed the politics of images, taking as a starting point the reception of a chronicle by Martín Caparrós, “A postcard from Sri Lanka. The disgust” (s/f). It will reflect on the political nature of the writing of the chronicles and on the moral prejudices that appear when the texts are accompanied by images that show “the pain of others” (Sontag). It will addressed the dehumanizing biopower suggested by the image by the commodification of children's bodies; it will reviewed the traditions of representation of the child's body in the visual arts and photojournalism, and the power of suggestion and resistance of the picture. It is argued that the debate raised in relation to Caparrós's photography allows us to reflect on the interdictions that govern our production, publication and capture of images in the present.
