Images and Human Rights

Abstract

This chapter surveys the interplay between images and human rights, focusing on how the interaction among technologies, platforms and agents may alter contemporary human rights practices. It stems from the recognition that images are no longer merely an illustration on the side or just a vehicle for advocacy; they have become a critical evidentiary tool and a mode of information relay on their own terms as well. The chapter thus looks at how the capacity to include images—strongly defined, increasingly tested for impact—has been harnessed in ways that might alter discourses, might privilege some players over others, might present different ethical issues, and might make, in general, a more powerful role for human rights and the greater achievement of long-desired objectives.