Thesis Title: Studying the Representation of Japan Society Portrait in the Works of Japanese Social Documentary Photographers after World War II to the End of 20th Century
By: Azam Safari
Supervisor: Farhad Soleymani
Degree: MA
Course of Study: Photography
February 2020
Abstract
From announcing Japan’s surrender and the end of the Pacific War in 1945 to the end of the twentieth century, Japan underwent an extraordinary transformation; from a nation ravaged by the destruction of war, Japan became a rising economic power. The radical social and cultural changes of this period generated an unprecedented creative energy which breathed new life into Japanese photography. With the aim of creating of a new visual language, Japan’s postwar documentary photography, moves towards from a passive stance to dynamics and experimentation of different ways of representation that captures the perspective society by the most talented photographers of that era, the photographers who provide fascinating social and historical insight into this period and its photographic output. The outstanding photographic images all attempt to represent the unique nature of the postwar era beyond the solely capturing of Japanese society.
This thesis intends to while presenting social documentary photographs of Japanese society in the historical context of that era, analyze the course of social documentary photography’s forms of expression. In this respect, at the beginning of each chapter is presented a brief overview of the social, political, and cultural status of Japanese society, then by describing the developments and trends in documentary photography and the approaches of photographers, explores the readings of their photographs in the context of photographic developments.
Keywords:
Photography - Social Documentary Photography - Japan - World War II -Japanese Photography - Japanese Photographers