[Post-]Extractions: The Politics of Film and Visual Methods in Academia

Convened by Kate Dawson and Joseph Mujere

The use of film and visual methodologies to co-create and disseminate knowledge is a growing practice in academia. This panel invites papers that reckon with the use of film – and visual methodologies more broadly – in diverse socio-natural contexts across the continent. Thinking through the asymmetrical politics of funding – past and present – that shape who and what gets filmed and created – and by who – this panel seeks to unravel how and in what ways film and other visual methodologies might work with and/or against extractive practices in academia. While we start from the premise of our own experiences of producing films and using other methodologies to examine the extractive industries – namely sand mining in Accra, Ghana and platinum mining in Rustenburg, South Africa – we extend the conversation out beyond this domain and invite papers that reflect on the politics and ethics of research-film and visual methodologies more broadly. This includes how researchers, artists (filmmakers, script writers, graphic artists) and research participants collaborate in co-creating and disseminating knowledge using visual methods. We hope, with others, to articulate potential ways of using film and other visual methodologies (or not) that move towards a post-extractive landscape of knowledge (co)production and dissemination. We also welcome papers that interrogate or reflect on the use of related visual approaches such as animations, applied comics, and immersive art.

Please be in touch with the convenors to discuss your idea for a panel or individual presentation.
joseph.mujere@york.ac.uk and katherine.dawson@ucl.ac.uk