Comments on: The Street, a Park, and the Unseen Middle East

By: Uzbek Tempest in the Soc Images Teapot « Formless and Void

Uzbek Tempest in the Soc Images Teapot « Formless and Void — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:09:53 +0000

[...] and gender in American media. Their coverage of how Americans represent other cultures can also be insightful. In particular, the authors disavow the tendency of Westerners* to “exoticize” the [...]

By: Photographer Tried for Defamation » Sociological Images

Photographer Tried for Defamation » Sociological Images — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:32:06 +0000

[...] seen the same phenomenon with photos of the Middle East, Appalachia, American Indian art, Africa (see both here and here) and, I’ve argued, the TV [...]

By: Stinky19

Stinky19 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:35:24 +0000

You’re the same as all the others. ,

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By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:57:08 +0000

I can't make heads or tails of this post. Both of these pictures are from The Guardian but the author uses them to make a point about the depiction of the Middle East in American media. There is no attempt, however, to actually show how Nowruz is represented America. As an actual example, here is a story from the New York Times. Check out the slide show embedded in the story. Most of the photos are of seemingly middle-class Tehranians doing all sorts of shopping (what could be more Western than that?). It certainly seems to run counter to the author's claim about what can't be seen here.

By: AJ

AJ — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:12:39 +0000

I note that the top image shows only men, where the second shows a man and two women. In the top image, no one is smiling. All three people are smiling in the second. Does the lack on women and the lack of smiling make the top image “less civilized”? Is the top image “less civilized” because the people portrayed probably of a lower class?

Then comes my problems with the word “civilized”…

By: kaolin fire

kaolin fire — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:35:10 +0000

Thank you so much for this. Perspective and context are magical things.

By: David A

David A — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:56:24 +0000

It’s an important thing to keep in mind that Afghanistan and Iran are vastly different countries, with vastly different peoples.

That being said, people are people.

By: Western images of the ‘Muslim world’ « Eclectic Grounds

Western images of the ‘Muslim world’ « Eclectic Grounds — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:50:13 +0000

[...] a comment » A great post by Robert Hariman published at Sociological Images. Hariman compares two photographs of the Iranian New Year celebrations in Afghanistan and Iran. [...]

By: Ranah

Ranah — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:41:14 +0000

The animated movie “Persepolis” is told through the eyes of a girl born in Iran.
In it one can see that in their personal life, people in Iran have a lot in common with us.

By: macon d

macon d — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:33:55 +0000

Excellent work disrupting what amounts to an “Orientalist” mindset, a collective psychosis. Thank you for reposting this!

By: Elena

Elena — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:16:12 +0000

That image is one of throngs of working class men massed together in the street. What little business is there is in the open air markets lining each side of the densely packed urban space. We see small batches of everyday goods on display–probably to be bartered for, no less. Compare: Flohmarkt (flea market) in Wuppertal, Germany, Rastro (street market) in Madrid, Spain.