Abstract

This paper explores the works of the late anthropologist Frank Cancian, specifically considering Another Place (1974), Orange County Housecleaners (2006) and Lacedonia – An Italian Town, 1957 (2017). Bringing Cancian out of contemporary obscurity is useful for visually oriented scholars in the social sciences from a theoretical and methodological standpoint - he simultaneously practices a documentary photography “without guarantees,” and maintained a deep commitment to cultural relativism, distinguishing his practice as distinct from certain contemporaries like John Collier Jr. Re-reading his works together reveals Another Place as a point of departure, concretizing Cancian’s vision of documentary photography as vocation. Separating it from “professional” anthropology, Cancian sought new modes of expression through photography, thus confronting an enduring problem for visual scholars – how to engage the world analytically vs. aesthetically.

Presenters

Brian O'Neill
Postdoctoral Fellow, College of Global Futures, Arizona State University, Arizona, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Image Work

KEYWORDS

Frank Cancian; Documentary Photography; Visual Sociology; Visual Ethnography; Visual Anthropology

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