Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Mobilising Archives (Mobilising Archives: photography in Southwest Angola)
Période du rapport: 2017-03-01 au 2019-02-28
“Mobilising Archives” investigated past and present uses of ethnographic photography taken in Angola throughout the 20th century. Articulating photography, history and anthropology, the project adopted a triangular methodology that combined archival research on historical collections, visual culture studies, and collaborative fieldwork with contemporary villagers.
Examining physical and digital archives related to three distinct photographic collections on Southern Angolan local cultures, the project explored a selection of field photographs produced by three ethnographers over different historical periods: the missionary Carlos Estermann (1930s-1970s), the museum officer António Carreira (1960s) and the university professor Ruy Duarte de Carvalho (1990s).
The selected photographs and their analysis fulfilled two main goals: 1) to develop a historical understanding of the evolving use of photography for ethnographic purposes, analyzing the field practices of each case-study and the subsequent usages of these images, namely through archiving and publishing; and 2) to conduct photo-elicitation with rural dwellers in the region, as a way to discuss Africanist photography from a contemporary perspective, and to produce informed ethnographic displays.
Together, the selected case studies highlighted the specificities of the evolving use of photography with an ethnographic purpose, amidst changing historical contexts – from Portuguese late colonialism, to Angola’s liberation war (1961-1974), and finally to its subsequent civil war (1975-2002). The German-born missionary who lived in Angola for over 50 years valued captioned photography for its ethnographic dimension; the Portuguese public officer born in Cape Verde made photographs in five 2-month missions, as a provider of an institutional ethnographic archive; and the Portuguese-born Angolan anthropologist conducting fieldwork during civil war innovated in his ethnographic use of published images. Collaboration with contemporary villagers added a much-needed local understanding of images that depict the regional rural universe, with an emphasis on insights onto the dwellers’ daily life.
Overall, “Mobilising Archives” contributed to debates on photography’s use in the history of anthropology and in contemporary ethnography. As its major output, the project developed a bilingual website (in Portuguese and in English) in the vein of digital ethnography, making accessible the preliminary findings for both specialized and general audiences, through multimodal digital content (film, text, exhibitions, graphic and interactive devices).
Examining physical and digital archives related to three distinct photographic collections on Southern Angolan local cultures, the project explored a selection of field photographs produced by three ethnographers over different historical periods: the missionary Carlos Estermann (1930s-1970s), the museum officer António Carreira (1960s) and the university professor Ruy Duarte de Carvalho (1990s).
The selected photographs and their analysis fulfilled two main goals: 1) to develop a historical understanding of the evolving use of photography for ethnographic purposes, analyzing the field practices of each case-study and the subsequent usages of these images, namely through archiving and publishing; and 2) to conduct photo-elicitation with rural dwellers in the region, as a way to discuss Africanist photography from a contemporary perspective, and to produce informed ethnographic displays.
Together, the selected case studies highlighted the specificities of the evolving use of photography with an ethnographic purpose, amidst changing historical contexts – from Portuguese late colonialism, to Angola’s liberation war (1961-1974), and finally to its subsequent civil war (1975-2002). The German-born missionary who lived in Angola for over 50 years valued captioned photography for its ethnographic dimension; the Portuguese public officer born in Cape Verde made photographs in five 2-month missions, as a provider of an institutional ethnographic archive; and the Portuguese-born Angolan anthropologist conducting fieldwork during civil war innovated in his ethnographic use of published images. Collaboration with contemporary villagers added a much-needed local understanding of images that depict the regional rural universe, with an emphasis on insights onto the dwellers’ daily life.
Overall, “Mobilising Archives” contributed to debates on photography’s use in the history of anthropology and in contemporary ethnography. As its major output, the project developed a bilingual website (in Portuguese and in English) in the vein of digital ethnography, making accessible the preliminary findings for both specialized and general audiences, through multimodal digital content (film, text, exhibitions, graphic and interactive devices).
Archival research took place in Portugal (National Museum of Ethnology; Archive of the Portuguese Province of the Holy Father Congregation; personal archive of Ruy Duarte de Carvalho), and in Angola (Regional Museum of Huíla; Bishopric of Huila; Huila Mission). The digital material produced was shared with these source institutions. Historical research included carrying out interviews with peers of the deceased ethnographer-photographers – for instance, with a former colleague and a former mentee in the case of both Carreira and Estermann.
Based on a selection of photographs from each case study, field research was conducted in Angola, both in rural and urban settings, with an emphasis on the former. Fieldwork in rural areas was centered on eliciting the perception of rural livelihoods in a semi-arid setting that epitomizes the extensive ecological context of the region - data collected included the contemporary villagers’ reactions and views of the historical photographs, balancing women and men’s participation.
Fieldwork in Angola also led to collaborations with local institutions, both in the Southern region, and in Luanda. Collaborative research was also conducted with the staff of the Regional Museum of Huíla, to improve storage conditions and mutual knowledge about this museum’s photography collection. Collaboration with a private polytechnic in Lubango city helped to set up a museum display for its students, researchers and society at large, based on the ethnographic fund of one of the ethnographers approached in the research.
The project converged on the development of a research-based website (www.hisfotant.org) that combines the results of historical research with the results of fieldwork on photographic practices with an ethnographic intention related to Southern Angola and its rural populations. The website gathers resources, experiments and findings about the evolving practice of ethnographic photography, namely through three short photo-exhibitions and graphic resources produced to visualize the case studies.
Based on a selection of photographs from each case study, field research was conducted in Angola, both in rural and urban settings, with an emphasis on the former. Fieldwork in rural areas was centered on eliciting the perception of rural livelihoods in a semi-arid setting that epitomizes the extensive ecological context of the region - data collected included the contemporary villagers’ reactions and views of the historical photographs, balancing women and men’s participation.
Fieldwork in Angola also led to collaborations with local institutions, both in the Southern region, and in Luanda. Collaborative research was also conducted with the staff of the Regional Museum of Huíla, to improve storage conditions and mutual knowledge about this museum’s photography collection. Collaboration with a private polytechnic in Lubango city helped to set up a museum display for its students, researchers and society at large, based on the ethnographic fund of one of the ethnographers approached in the research.
The project converged on the development of a research-based website (www.hisfotant.org) that combines the results of historical research with the results of fieldwork on photographic practices with an ethnographic intention related to Southern Angola and its rural populations. The website gathers resources, experiments and findings about the evolving practice of ethnographic photography, namely through three short photo-exhibitions and graphic resources produced to visualize the case studies.
With a series of collaborations with Angolan institutions, the project helped to initiate activities such as open-air cinema sessions in an urban context. In other cases it strengthened partnerships between institutions and civil society. Local collaborations in Angola also led to training-by-doing of staff at scientific and cultural institutions, raising motivation and skill levels in photography collection management and in the reception of museum visitors. Rural participants involved in the project received photographs in return, and the village gained communal nightlife entertainment in the form of mobile cinema and photography presentations, increasing the confidence of an illiterate population in new technologies. Forthcoming publications will analyze the findings with greater depth and will be of interest to those working with collaborative methodologies and also with historically informed ethnographic approaches.