PRTR 131P What is Photography? History, Politics, and Critique of Photographic Representation

We live in a world permeated with photographic images, but do we really notice photographs? Do we understand how they work and what they mean? Do we know how to read them? Now that our phones and cameras have merged, we might also say that we live in a world that is forever inviting, imploring us to take photos; we might say we live in a world in which it is almost impossible not to take photos. Are we all photographers now? Do we choose to take photographs or has photography, in a sense, chosen us?