The New (Old) Image Wars: Rethinking Image and Violence after Paris

The tragic events at Charlie Hebdo are a reminder of the continuing force of images incontemporary culture. Far from an isolated incident, tensions surrounding portrayals of
the Prophet Muhammad continue to resonate and escalate, threatening further polarization
and violence. Media responses to the crisis have framed this as a clash between “Western”
and “Islamic” values – freedom of speech versus religious extremism – with the assumption
of an arcane view of pictorial representation at its basis. This lecture aims to shift the terms
of the debate by giving a longer view of the relation of images to violence. Drawing upon
historic examples, ontologies and anthropologies of the image, I engage the image wars of
the past as a means to leverage a more nuanced understanding of their operation in the
present, articulating confluences between East and West to open a space for dialogue.

With a response by Fabio Rambell (UCSB).

Organized by the ISF Endowed Chair in Shinto Studies, and co-sponsored by the Department of Art History, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, Department of History, Department of Religious Studies, and Department of Film and Media Studies.

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