Visible presence: This Oakley Center symposium brought together thinkers in two areas: visual theory/photography and social/collective memory in order to consider the workings of photography for the historical imagination and self-conception of groups and communities. What is the relationship between memory and photography? How does photography participate in the formation and maintenance of collective identities, from the family to the nation? Furthermore, how can we begin to conceptualize the effects of photography on the historical imagination of individuals and groups at large? While images commonly accompany historical accounts—from the History Channel documentaries to family scrapbooks—we know precious little about the visual economy in which they are embedded, and about the larger collective narratives from which they spring and which they shape in return. Keynote address Symposium participants
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