Displaying the Contemporary Other. How has Photography Been Used to Reinforce Stereotypes and Demonize the Islamic Faith during the Fight Against Terror?

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Art - Photography and Film, grade: 1st, University of Westminster, language: English, abstract: Within this essay I will underline and explore the notion of terrorists as the ‘the contemporary other’; furthermore I will elaborate on what is meant by this terminology. The question I will be discussing is how the West has represented the ‘contemporary other’ through photography, and inquiring into the effects this has had on the way we shape, see and understand fundamentalists and, by implication, Islam. I will question how this has strengthened, or even given credit to, stereotypes that demonise the Islamic Faith. Using John Tagg’s theory of the ‘double movement’ to display how photography can reinforce preconceptions and help to reinforce stereotypes. Furthermore, I will explore the ways in which multiple platforms have represented Islamist organisations, and what impact this may have had on the way in which we perceive those who follow Islamic beliefs, stating how this may be linked to increases in Islamophobia within the West.