Historians of colonial photography deal with often explicitly racialized photographs as a large number of these were taken by colonial officers, administrators, anthropologists and professional photographers. This brand of photographs were made into postcards and sent home from the colonies to the metropoles, published in general and scientific publications that showcase the “colour” and adventure of faraway places and peoples. Many of these photographs are deposited in cultural institutions such as archives and museums and form the basis for other collections such as by heritage centres. At the same time, the stereotypical aspects of photography meant to capture aspects of “race” and “ethnicity” have continued into the present day with the popularity of Steve McCurry and Jimmy Nelson photographing peoples are not so far removed from this historical trend. Popular media trying to showcase diversity often take this same principle by selecting different recognizable “types” of people. Current collections of historical photography are currently being digitized and can be accessed by the general public with old descriptions given at the time of their taking, or with no descriptions at all, making them free to be associated with current representational norms.

How do historians and photographers engage with “race” and “ethnicity” in the study of photography and the practice of taking photographs? How do they locate themselves in the history of photography’s power to represent difference and to reinforce stereotypes? What impact do they think the images will have 100 years from now, with or without knowledge of who has taken them or why, and who the subjects were?

Speakers:

• Susie Protschky, Professor of Global Political History at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Kevin Kwee, photographer 2024 Peranakan, Museum Sophiahof
• Sandra Khor Manickam, ESHCC, Department of History.

Moderators: Charlotte Bruns and Lise Zurné

This symposium is dedicated to exploring the intersections between colonial archival photography and contemporary identity formation, with a focus on postcolonial and diasporic contexts. By examining how colonial-era visual materials continue to shape understandings of self and other in postcolonial and diasporic contexts, the event addresses both historic and contemporary photography not only as a record but also as a means of memory, negotiation and reclamation.

How visual culture shapes identity

The first presentation by Dzifa Peters draws from a project which investigates how visual culture, particularly photography, shapes identity in relation to postcolonial circumstances, migration and intercultural polarities, with a focus on identities in West Africa and its diaspora, especially Ghana.

The female figure in Southeast Asia and Muslim worlds

The second presentation by Nurul Huda Rashid centres on representations of the female figure in Southeast Asia and Muslim worlds. By engaging the image in colonial archives and search engines, annotation as pedagogy is designed to reconfigure ways of looking at archival and algorithmic images. As both speakers combine scholarly and artistic research in their work, the event also highlights the potential of combining scholarly analysis and artistic intervention to critically engage with and transform inherited visual legacies.

Building on earlier sessions of Visual Legacies that centre colonial photographic archives and their contemporary afterlives, our 2026 event examined the family as a site through which colonial visual legacies can be revisited and reworked. Focussing on scholarly research and artistic practices, we explored how family narratives, personal archives, and intimate details are mobilised to engage with broader postcolonial and diasporic histories. We asked how researchers and artists engage with their familial photographic archives, and how these private images are transformed when they become part of institutional or scholarly frameworks. What are the ethical, affective, and political questions that may arise? How do practices of writing, collecting, archiving, or exhibiting reframe intimacy, care, ownership and responsibility? By foregrounding visual practices that intersect private and public memories, the event explores how working with and through one’s family attends to inheritance, loss, and nostalgia, as well as creates space for re-imagining the hegemonic patterns of colonial photography.

The symposium began with an introduction by Charlotte Bruns, followed by talks by Kamila Krakowska Rodrigues (Leiden University) who will introduce the archival project, "Keeping/Discarding",  which uses digital storytelling and visualisation to rethink some of the premises of archives. Two speakers from this project will reflect on their interventions in relation to the theme of ‘Visual Legacies –  Family and photographic archives’. Jonathan Tjien Fooh (VU Amsterdam) and Sandra Khor Manickam (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University) considered their use of photography in reshaping family histories and the questions such interventions raise. Lastly, the symposium welcomed Tenee Attoh, photographer and founder of Mixedracefaces to present a selection of photographs and stories from the visual storytelling platform and cultural organization focusing on themes such as identity, belonging, and labels. After the presentations, we invited the audience to participate in the Q&A and podium discussion, led by Lise Zurné.