Typological Systems Summary

Brian Wallis begins his paper by discussing the issues that come along with multiculturalism, ethnicity, identity, and race. He states the methodology of critics discussing cultural differences have shifted “away from essentialist of biological versions of race.” (39) Race as a category is very difficult to understand and has been subjected to many different ‘gazes’; however, Wallis points out it “cannot be separated from other formative components of identity.” (39) It is a part of who people are and is a part of their identity regardless. Scientists who study race have made race a political issue that are affected by people with power and their choices. Wallis stresses that although race has been discussed amongst people and have been studied, …show more content…
It could be considered an early attempt at applying photography to anthropology and also to create a photographic archive. A critic: Allan Sekula has described such archives of photography "as a form of currency within a closed system" and this "currency" of photography can be used to quantify things that 'll emphasize the similarities and differences it has to others. (46) This archival system can be used to give meaning to “seemingly random components.”(47) The primitive archival systems were characteristic of Daguerrean era. And a “shadow archive” was an imaginary ranking/organizing of information by classifying photos. It could be divided into 2 organizational principles: laterally organized catalogue, and vertically organized genealogy. The catalog wanted to establish similarly/differences across spatial dimension. Thus, his collection included various types of photographs (landscapes, portraits, group portraits). On the contrary, the genealogy assembled likeness/diversity over time and this collection had family portraits, memorial photos, changes of seasons through images, or changes in an individual over time. Within the shadow archive, both systems of organization implied "hierarchical ordering." (47) Individual images were combined and organized dichotomously to enforce division between one another. Such division between the images began to be …show more content…
For example the portrait daguerreotypes and silhouettes paid special attention to the form, shape, size of the head to report the differences in the subjects. Polygenesists on the other hand, were keener to define racial types and the differences amongst them. Their images often showed the developing difference between the head of a primate to an African and to a classical Greek. In addition to photographing, analysis of "the moral character, manner, and social habits" of difference racial types were also conducted. From today 's standpoint, such photography and analysis would be considered to be in the realm of racism and sexism; however, when looking at it from a scientific standpoint, it was legitimatized. A sort of 'standard ' was necessary when it came to forming racial types and establishing the individuals’ rank in the hierarchy of intellect. Many scientists argued their discoveries and final analysis were not influenced at all by any bias or prejudice, there were proof "that a standard was in place to characterize the Caucasian ideal." Ancient Greeks were considered to account for their art because of their beautiful bodies and in contrast, Egyptians and Africans lacked such beauty in heir appearance. Such standards are apparent in many classificatory systems and this in return causes races and racial to be "considered not only separate but