This thesis explores the ethics of filming in a community to which the documentarian does not belong.
The study enquires whether, in spite of an outsider’s gaze, a decolonial approach to ‘otherness’ in
documentary is a possibility. This is done by dissecting the objectifying practices within visual
technologies that have historically created ‘otherness’ in the first place, touching upon concepts such
as hegemony, the creation of the Self and the Other, the gaze, representation, and stereotypes.
Decolonial ...
This thesis explores the ethics of filming in a community to which the documentarian does not belong.
The study enquires whether, in spite of an outsider’s gaze, a decolonial approach to ‘otherness’ in
documentary is a possibility. This is done by dissecting the objectifying practices within visual
technologies that have historically created ‘otherness’ in the first place, touching upon concepts such
as hegemony, the creation of the Self and the Other, the gaze, representation, and stereotypes.
Decolonial thought(s) offer insightful clues for the dilemma of authoriality and entitlement to film the
Other, as well as potential decolonial approaches to apply to documentary. To illustrate some of the
decolonial approaches, ethnographic documentaries by Safi Faye, Trinh T. Minh-Ha and Stephanie
Spray will be analysed.
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