Photographical Orientalism

Oriental Camera written by Ali Behdad, is an attempt to transcend the s tructuralis t approach to Orientalism, which often interprets local and regional photographs in an ideological pathway and as second-rate editions in the reproduction of the European view, while the author tries to go beyond this reading and interpret the works of local and regional photographers unlike those taken by European touris ts and re-interpret them in their regional context. The book looks at photographs of photojournalis ts living and settled in the Middle Eas t while keeping an eye on the colonial functions of the photo - which is more visible in the photographs of European travelers taken of the Eas t and the commercial photographs produced for the European eye. This in comparison with local power and culture gains a different meaning and function; therefore, a collection of Qajar pictures of Iran is being examined. At the end of the book, there is also a reference to the reproduction of Orientalis t views in contemporary photography.