Photography in India

Product Description India has one of the richest and most extensive histories of photography in the world with the camera arriving in the country only a few year after its invention in Europe. Organized chronologically, this book covers over 150 years of photographs, divided into ten chapters which focus on themes and genres such as archaeology and ethnography, portraiture, photojournalism, social documentary, street photography, modernism, and contemporary art. An in-depth introduction and ten short essays contextualize the photographs in light of India's journey from colonial territory, to independent nation state, to global economic superpower, along the way suggesting new arguments as to how this has been reflected in photographic practice. Over 100 Indian as well as international photographers are included in this well-researched and engaging book that includes some of the country's most iconic images, alongside the work of lesser-known artists and a wealth of previously unpublished material. Review "From the 1840s to today, this publication explores 150 years of photography and cultural history. Spanning genres such as street photography, documentary, photojournalism and ethnography, it features over 100 practitioners from India and around the world." -- Aesthetica "It is this ability of the book to provide a kaleidoscopic insight into photography in and of India that sets it apart from earlier works on the discipline. While most of the older scholarship focuses on 19th century photography in India, the 304-page book s essays traverse right up to the 21st century in a tight visual narrative." -- Scroll.in "It crucially pulls back the curtain that still conceals too much of the medium s horrible past and its ongoing contemporary abuses, while opening a large variety of views of a complex country (that has more inhabitants than the US and Europe combined). I m hoping that the approach used for and in the book will be emulated should other authors decide to approach other countries whose reception and photographic treatment in the West has been equally problematic." --cphmag.com From the Back Cover India has one of the richest and most extensive histories of photography in the world with the camera arriving in the country only a few year after its invention in Europe. Organized chronologically, this book covers over 150 years of photographs, divided into ten chapters which focus on themes and genres such as archaeology and ethnography, portraiture, photojournalism, social documentary, street photography, modernism, and contemporary art. An in-depth introduction and ten short essays contextualize the photographs in light of India's journey from colonial territory, to independent nation state, to global economic superpower, along the way suggesting new arguments as to how this has been reflected in photographic practice. Over 100 Indian as well as international photographers are included in this well-researched and engaging book that includes some of the country's most iconic images, alongside the work of lesser-known artists and a wealth of previously unpublished material. About the Author Nathaniel Gaskell (b. London, 1986) is the co-founder and associate director of the Museum of Art & Photography, Bangalore, and the former director of the Tasveer Gallery. He received his BA in Fine Art from the Arts University College, Bournemouth (2008) and an MA in Cultural Studies from the London Consortium (2009). Previous books, as editor, include William Dalrymple: The Historian s Eye, Derry Moore: In the Shadow of the Raj, Karan Kapoor: Time & Tide and Hikari: Contemporary Photography from Japan. He lives between Bangalore and Singapore. Diva Gujral (b. New Delhi, 1991) is a writer, curator and PhD scholar at the department of History of Art, University College London. Her research assesses photographic practices in India in relation to India s Cold War-era political and cultural policy