220020 Environmental history as visual history: How images have shaped discourses and movements in the Americas and beyond (S) (SoSe 2026)

ATTENTION/ IMPORTANT:

-There is ONE OBLIGATORY ONLINE MEETING to plan the class on the 27.03.2026, 2.00pm -3.00pm. Access via this link:
https://uni-bielefeld.zoom-x.de/j/66374886053?pwd=FghUUBY9Ly1T3W4CarwL0qFquxK2Vn.1

Please make sure that you are punctual, as the course will start at 2pm sharp. If you cannot attend, but would like to take part, please send me an e-mail.
- This whole class will take place in April 2026 only (4 sessions).
- All the texts along with guiding questions are already uploaded in the Lernraum.

COMMENT:

A tiny boat heroically challenging a giant whaler…dying birds drained in crude oil…the “earthrise” seen from the moon… native people defending their ancestral homeland from infringement…polluted rivers or poisoned tab water. Maybe more than with any other cause, the movements to protect nature, the environment, animals are associated with an abundance of iconic images.

The United States have a long tradition of different conservation and environmental movements. They also have a long tradition of artists, “nature-writers” and – the focus of this class – photographers who put their works into the service of these causes.

This class takes two aspects into focus: On the one hand, we study and distinguish these different movements from the 20th to 21st century: Who are the activists? What are their objectives? What strategies do they use? And, last but not least: What does nature or environment actually mean for them? On the other hand, we study their accompanying photography: How does photography capture discourses? What role does photography play for activists? How can photography be used to make environmental causes visible or even obscure them?

Specifically, we will study four different conservation/ environmental movements and their photography.

First, we study the early conservation movement ( e.g. David Brower, the Sierra Club, Ansel Adams). Following Finis Dunaway`s work, for instance, we study how photos can contain whole philosophies about nature – such as Ansel Adams representation of the sublime National Parks. We will also critically examine how such photos have not only shown, but also purposefully hidden important aspects in environmental discourses – especially in terms of race, gender and class and contrast this landscape photography with "The New West"

Secondly, we focus on the so called radical environmental movement (e.g. Earth First!, Sea Shepherds, Greenpeace). We will discuss how they distinguish themselves from the earlier conservationists in terms of organization, tactics and their very idea of humans` place in nature. Kevin Michael DeLuca`s model of “image events” explains how these activists used images of dramatically protecting whales or throwing their bodies in front of machines and thus formed a “new form of rhetoric” in order to break into public debates.

Thirdly, we will take a close look at the environmental justice movement and famous cases of environmental justice/racism (e.g. Love Canal. Warren County, Flint Water Crisis, Cancer Alley, Hurricane Katrina). Leaning on Teena Gabrielson`s work, we will discuss how different genres of photography were used to make the complex issue of environmental harm visible and promote the agency of the people affected.

Finally, we will turn to the animal rights movement. Here we will borrow from the vocabulary of Animal Studies, a new dynamic field of studies. We will study the works of different photographers (e.g. JoAnne McArthur, Isa Leshko, Colleen Plumb) that attempt to represent “non-human animals” in order to promote animal rights or fight biodiversity loss.

This class also has a strong methodological and creative aspect: We will learn how to analyze one photos depth and students are asked to make and bring their own photography for each session.