Publication details
The Emergence of Iconic Depth. Secular Icons in a Comparative Perspective
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | In the last years, the concept of the “secular icon” became more and more popular in the field of visual studies. Secular icons are widely regarded as images of extraordinary symbolic power and as carriers of collective emotions and meanings. The following contribution offers a theoretical elaboration and a comparative case study of secular icons. I will first discuss the role of visuality in social life and the relation of image and text. The second part of this study focuses on the sacred in sociology and modern society in order to clarify in what sense secular icons can be regarded as sacred. Third, I will develop a catalogue of formal criteria for secular icons that can also be viewed as dimensions of iconicity. The fourth part applies this model to the Abu Ghraib photographs, in particular to the image that became the icon of the scandal. The fifth part introduces a comparative case, the most iconic photographs of the Vietnam war. Finally, my conclusion offers a resume, a short discussion of two problematic cases and some reflections on the growing importance of secular icons in a globalizing civil sphere. |