When Home is a Photograph: Vernacular Archives of the Arab World and Black Life

(3 Credits)

What insights about photography come to light when vernacular photographs from the Arab world and African American life are put in dialogue? How do archives of photographs create home and frameworks of belonging or omission? This course explores the rich photographic cultures represented in two archives: the Akkasah Photography Archive at NYU Abu Dhabi and the Peter J. Cohen Collection of Black life in NYC. Both archives feature vernacular photographs – those that capture everyday life through studio portraits, travel albums, identification photographs, and snapshots. A key component of the course is the hands-on engagement with these photographic objects, allowing students to explore their cultural significance as photographs and their status as objects to be physically held while centering questions of home. Students will culminate their studies by curating a photo exhibition as a final project. Engaging the vibrant photographic arts scene of the UAE, the course includes local speakers and field visits are planned to the Alserkal Avenue arts district, Gallery 421, the NYUAD Arts Center photography darkroom and the Akkasah Photography Archive.