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Intro and Publications

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Visual Anthropology

Between the arts and science
Intro & publications

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Visual Anthropology is a discipline of practice and theory. As a subfield of Cultural Anthropology it is concerned with the production of ethnographic images and the analysis of visual representations as well as its relationship to other fields of society and culture.

The reversal of the gaze, Eastern Tibet 1930’s

Since his Master- and Ph.D thesis Luc Schaedler of «go between films» is involved in Visual Anthropology, both as part of his teaching at Universities and film schools, and as deep influence for his documentary films.

«The relationship between verbal and visual forms of expression in the field of ethnography (science) are manyfold. How they be mixed, can not be categorically decided. Each situation needs its own assesment and an experimental attitude towards both. Which dosis may be prescribed, is solely a question of art».
MICHAEL OPPITZ

→ «Das kleine Zürcher Filmwunder» – Visuelle Anthropologie an der Universität Zürich

→ «Der Film ist auch ein Showcase für die Universität» – Gespräch mit Luc Schaedler

→ Visual Anthropology (Wikipedia)

→ «A Long Way Home» & Visual Anthropology

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Publications

Below you will find the Master- and the Ph.D. thesis of Luc Schaedler and a selection of previous articles:

↓ Ph.D.: ANGRY MONK: Literary, Historical, and Oral Sources for a Documentary Film (2007)

↓ Master: Arbeitsbericht zur Entstehung von MADE IN HONG KONG (1998)

↓ The little differences: cross-cultural exchange in filmschools (2011)

↓ Über die Wissenschaftlichkeit von Dokumentarfilmen (2009)

↓ Westliche Okkupation und östliche Selbstreflexion: Buddhismus im Spielfilm (2002)

↓ Tibet: Ein Projektionsfeld Westlicher Phantasien (1994)

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Angry Monk

A critical discussion of the documentary film «Angry Monk» as a hybrid between the arts and science:

↓ History & Anthropology (2008) – A critical review of «Angry Monk»

↓ Visual Anthropology (2008) – A critical review of «Angry Monk»

↓ American Anthropologist (2010) – Angry Monk: Reflections on Tibet

↓ IIAS Newsletter (2008) – Rebel with a cause: debunking the mythical & mystical Tibet

↓ AEMS Review (2008) – A critical review of «Angry Monk»

↓ Himal Southasian (2006) – The new reasoning of Gendun Choephel

↓ Revue de l’Inde (2006) – Réflexions sur le Tibet

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Sep 20, 2008 | visual anthropology | Comments Off on Intro and Publications

research-at-doc

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Anthropology

Visual Research

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Luc Schaedler of «go between films» sees himself at the interface of art, film and Visual Anthropology. Since 1996 he has been involved in various audio-visual projects that conduct artistic, cinematic and scientific research using exclusively visual means.

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Angry Monk (2001-07)
Doctoral Thesis

This visual research into Tibetan history and the biography of the radical monk Gendun Choephel had been designed as a bastard between art and science from the very beginning. The documentary film (90 mins.) is accompanied by a written thesis (2) critically discussing and contextualizing the research materials. It was the first film to be accepted as the main part of a Ph.D at the University of Zurich.

→ To the film «Angry Monk»

→ «Angry Monk» – a scientific discourse

Made in Hong Kong (1995-97)
Master Thesis

A visual research project in the fields of urban anthropology, migration and oral history. The documentary film (75 mins.) is accompanied by a written text, that critically discusses the making of the film and the working process in the form of a handbook for students (3). It was the first film to be accepted as the main part of a MA at the University of Zurich.

→ To the film «Made in Hong Kong»

→ Made in Hong Kong – A Handbook for Students (3)

Naga Identities (2009-11)
as part of an exhibition

The twelve hours of footage were shot in March 2009 as part of a large research project on Naga culture in India’s Northeastern border regions. Other products of the same research were the exhibtion “Naga: Ornaments and Ashes”, as well as the publication “Naga Identities: Changing Local Cultures in the Northeast of India”. It contains a collection of articles by various authors spanning an enlightening ark from the warring past, to an equally problematic present, to a very uncertain future.

→ to the project «Naga Identities»

Shamans of the Blind Country (2007-08)
Digitalising a classic of Visual Anthropology

Historical footage is mostly analog, the cinema of tomorrow digital: with color corrections, adaptions of the sound tracks as well as the reconstruction of the original order of the sequences Michael Oppitz’ ethnographic classic from 1978 was brought into the digital age. With Thomas Bochet.

Poster/flyer of “Made in Hong Kong”, 1997

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Sep 19, 2008 | visual anthropology | Comments Off on research-at-doc

Teaching – Mentoring

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University

Between the arts and science

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Luc Schaedler

is teaching and mentoring as freelance lecturer since 2001. In addition to workshops and lectures at international Universities – among them Vancouver, New York, Vienna and Berlin – he is regularly working at Zurich University and the University of the Arts (film department).

His emphasis in teaching and mentoring lies in the fields of documentary filmmaking (theory and practice), cultural anthropology, with a special focus on visual anthropology, as well as Tibet (history and Buddhism).

Teaching

His last Seminars took place at the Institute of Social Anthropology at the University of Berne (Switzerland) –  Introduction to Visual Anthropology (The Classics of Ethnographic Filmmaking), The Ethnographic Interview (Theory and Exercise) and most recently  Smartphone Anthropology at the Université de Fribourg.

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2009/10 Luc Schaedler has been involved in the Triangle Project, a cross-cultural exchange workshop between the film departments of the University of the Arts (Zurich), the Dramatiska Institutet (Stockholm) and the Theatre Academy of Shanghai. My paper ↓ The little differences about the workshop can be downloaded from here.

A film by Yun Long Song
(CH 2011, 10 Min., English)

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Mentoring

In his position as lecturer at the University of Zurich, Luc Schaedler has been mentoring the visual degrees (MA) of the students in the department of Visual Anthropolgy since 2006. The mentoring included the critical discussion of each proposal, productional and technical support as well as support during the editing, postproduction and promotion of the films.

Luc Schaedler also initiated a colloquium for anthropology students in which they present and discuss their visual projects in different stages of the making (ongoing).

The films were screened at the ethnographic student film festival Regard Bleu in Zurich and/or were invited to the Solothurner Filmtage in Switzerland (2007-2010):

• Promised Land (Balz Alter, CH 2010, 35 mins., MA, UniBa) • Chokora – Surviving on the Street (Lea Furrer, CH 2010, 50 mins., MA, UZH) • Arranged Love (Sarah Bregy, CH 2010, MA, UZH) • Por Amor (Isabelle Stüssi, CH 2009, 68 mins., MA, UZH) • Life in Bubbles (Nadine Lüchinger, CH 2009, 50 Min., Lizentiat, UZH) • Put Mira (Gian-Reto Gredig, CH 2008, 87 mins. MA, UZH) • The Cave of Justin (Mélanie Pitteloud, CH 2008, 52 mins., MA, UZH) • In A Whiteman’s Kontry (Balz Arter, CH 2008, 25 Min., Seminar, UniBa) • The Achuar (Elsner/Bissegger, CH 2008, 52 Min., MA, UZH) • Shanghai Manners (Claudia Jucker, CH 2007, 19 mins., Diploma, HSLU).

In A Whiteman’s Kontry – German
(Balz Alter, CH 2008)

Chokora – Surviving on the Street (Filmstill)
(Lea Furrer, CH 2010)

Filmstill from “Chokora”, Kenya 2009

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Sep 18, 2008 | visual anthropology | Comments Off on Teaching – Mentoring