Shooting borders. Per una geogafia visuale delle migrazioni

Abstract

Our perceptions of events in the Mediterranean are strongly influenced by a range of visual practices that impact on both the emotional and the political. In this paper, I set out to critically explore the visual geographies underlying photographic images of contemporary migration flows across the Mediterranean Sea. I argue the need for a methodological shift from a content analysis approach to a critical investigation of the spatial interweaving of images, gazes and aesthetic regimes that governs both the production and reception of such photographs. Given these theoretical premises, I focus on three images of migrants being rescued in the Mediterranean to illustrate how photography can actually interfere with our ability to create spaces of cultural and political responsibility.