The Photographic Experience in Modern Japan: Focusing on the Photo Album

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19965
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0101:Philosophy, art, and related fields
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: YASUDA KAZUHIRO 早稲田大学, 文学学術院, 助手 (40905957)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 写真史 / 写真アルバム / ヴァナキュラー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project examined the reception and expression of photography in modern Japan, including "taking," "being taken," and "collecting," by conducting basic archival research on collecting and surveying albums and by investigating the theory of vernacular photography. Through this work, we examined the meaning of the act of editing and looking at albums, positioned albums on the borderline between public and private, and clarified the possibility of discussing albums as historical documents.

Free Research Field

写真史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、従来の写真研究が指摘してこなかった人々の写真受容・表現を、アルバムを通じて実証的に明らかにし、人々が残した写真群を新たな視点から捉えなおすものとして位置付けることができる。ゆえに本研究は、日本写真史の新たな記述可能性を切り拓いていくための基盤を成すだけでなく、人々が残してきた/残していく膨大な写真・映像（イメージ）と向き合うための理論的視座を提供するといえよう。