Demanding Images

“Karen Strassler convincingly links ideologies of transparency that are associated with new media forms with political and social concepts. Especially valuable is her attentiveness to both the ideological valence of new media and the pragmatic implications of what it can and cannot do in practice. Smart, stylish, and sophisticated, Demanding Images is absolutely superb.” - Webb Keane, George Herbert Mead Collegiate Professor of Anthropology, University of Michigan

“An inspiring account of the demands made upon images (to testify and endure) and the complex demands images make in turn upon those who use them. Establishing the conflictual politics of the visual, Karen Strassler dissects the ambivalence and volatility of image-events in prose that is both analytically precise and poetically rich. This is a learned contribution to the study of contemporary Indonesia and an ominous handbook illuminating the convulsive nature of new media landscapes that are changing lives everywhere.” - Christopher Pinney, Professor of Anthropology and Visual Culture, University College London

"Demanding Images encourages readers to adopt a valuable new perspective on post-authoritarian Indonesian politics." - Megan Brankley Abbas, PoLAR

"Demanding Images is a fascinating, entertaining, and insightful read. A one-of-a-kind book on Indonesia, it will appeal to those interested in Indonesian media, politics, and society, as well as those who want to understand how images affect politics in our more complex media environment." - Colm Fox, Pacific Affairs

"As an interdisciplinary work that draws from a number of sophisticated analytical frameworks, this accessible study holds value far beyond the immediate topic of Indonesian visual culture and public discourse in recent decades." - S. G. Jug, Choice

"Karen Strassler is highly regarded in Indonesian studies, and . . . her ideas and theories have incredible depth and should be relevant to a larger audience critically engaged with photography and visual culture, those actively trying to grapple with the complexity of images within our social and political experience." - Brian Arnold, Afterimage

"An engaging and thought-provoking book, which certainly demands attention from anyone with an interest in Media, Cultural, and Area Studies." - Edward Jurriens, Anthropos

"Strassler's notion of the 'image-event' elegently draws attention to the permeability between static and mobile, enduring and fleeting, picture and performance, making her work relevant well beyond the limits of Indonesian studies and her disciplinary home in visual anthropology." - Krishna Sen, Journal of Anthropological Research

"Whether one is interested in contemporary Indonesian politics, in understanding the role of images in public spheres more generally, or in the production and life of images themselves, this book will certainly be a valuable read." - Jonathan Kraemer, Anthropology Book Forum

"Strassler’s book is a perceptive study of the visual in a time of neoliberal democracy." - JPaul S. Manzanilla, Southeast Asian Studies