The+‘Afghan+girl’+Case

**__ Power and Representation: __** **__ The ‘Afghan girl’ Case __**

The cold war between the western and the communist world lasted from 1947 to 1991; the conflicts were based upon political, economic and military tensions after the Second World War (Cold War Museum). This resulted in many proxy wars to avoid direct combat between the capitalist United States of America and communist Soviet Union which both were armed with nuclear weapons. The ‘Afghan girl’, who was photographed in 1984 by American photojournalist Steve McCurry, graced the cover of many magazines and became an icon that symbolized the displacement of refugees due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The 1984 photograph was placed on the cover of National Geographic in 1985 and it instantly became an icon. The image boosted sales and was used on various other mediums in addition to other well-known magazines, such as Time. In the 1980’s, the government and media wielded the greatest power over the populace, and produced knowledge on political discourse. The American population supported their government because they created the dominant representations paradigms of the war which reinforced the government’s standpoint. The view was that communism had sub-par living, was inhumane, restricting, conforming and overall lacked freedom for the generations to come. Consequently the American government and media aided in reinforcing the western philosophy of the negative effects of communism, using the Afghan girl.

It is important to understand the conflict between these nations to understand why this image is powerful, as well as understanding the culture it was being exposed to. National Geographic, an American magazine, ran this image during the cold war with the caption: “Haunted eyes tell of an Afghan refugee’s fears”. In order to determine the dominant meaning of the image, Barths says that first “decode each of the signifiers ... to their appropriate concepts” (Hall, 2003, p. 39). The signifiers are the girl and her clothes. The photograph denotes a little girl covered in a tattered red shawl with her green clothes peering through the holes and her blue-green-gray eyes piercing directly at the viewer. When the image is analysed it connotes a message of Soviet (Communist) inhumanity. This set in motion the ‘message’ of western views on communist nations and the lack of compassion for anyone, children included. The image became a symbol to Americans of the carnage in Afghanistan at the hands of communist nations.

However, the image can be interpreted in many ways, Dr. Rae Lynn Schwartz of Western Washington University, “claim[s] that the release of the photo in such a trusted media outlet... [//National Geographic]// built support for American intervention in the Soviet-Afghan conflict that began in the late 1970s”(Peck, 2009). The magazine, along with the caption according to Schwartz created the appearance of truth; this empowered American ideal making the west appear compassionate and humane, when in fact was a justification for action against the Soviet.

The views of the artist in these approaches have not been considered. Photojournalism according to Fulton “is essentially interpretative... the representations that the photographer produced are related to his or her personal interpretations of the events and subjects which he or she chooses to place in front of the lens”(Hall, 2003, p. 85). Therefore McCurry used his dominant representational paradigm, his vision of historical events to represent the message; not the pure record. Therefore all photographs have power and bias; since McCurry is an American journalist it is safe to assume he wanted to represent the American inclusive view on communism through the Afghan girl. The goal of the artist is show the citizens what they cannot see firsthand and evoke emotions from them. The image “succeeds in seeming to go beyond the surface ... [and attempts to gain American] acceptance of its verisimilitude” (Hall, 2003, p. 84) and of McCurry.

Susan Sontag’s (2010) notion of the dynamic between photographer and topic is that of “appropriat[ion]”, meaning that there is an “inequality or even violation”(Peck, 2009) that can be viewed in the image. Steve McCurry would have been intrusive and alien to the Afghan girl; the serious stare may have been accomplished because of her “anger” towards the “stranger”, making her appear hard, stern and scared. The reality of the photo is the image was shot at a refugee camp in Pakistan, where the girl was attending school and her teacher agreed to allow having her photographed. The photographer’s goal was to capturing the difference and plights of the Afghani refugees in relation to the norm of American livelihood. McCurry used the girl to symbolize the powerlessness in her community using her to represent the whole war.

Therefore what appears simple can contain much more meaning when put into the context of the time and the events that allowed for the dominant representation to occur. Edward Said’s (1979) concept of orientalism, how the west views the east, can be applied to this photo. The image captivated American audiences, it ‘othered’ her from the norm of western society evoking emotions of interest and disdain. The image was fearful, fierce and beautiful simultaneously; however made the audience pity the girl and appreciate the life they live. This intentionally was done by American media to gain support for their stand in the cold war. Since the American government regulates the media, they produce knowledge and control the cultural norms in society. The fear of being displaced, tattered and segregated was used as a tool by American media to gain support on their intervention of the Soviet-Afghan war.

The use of representation belongs to those in power, the government; we the subjects are swayed into believe their dominant views though the use of media. As Hall (2003, 59) says “representation works as much through what is not shown, as through what is”; and in the case of the Afghan girl; what is shown is a little girl what is not, is the discourses associated with the photo. The interesting thing about this image is that the little girl does not have a name and is referred to only as the ‘Afghan girl’. Seventeen years after McCurry took the picture he found her in Afghanistan where he learned her name, Sharbat Gula (Braun, 2003). Her name was never important, or her life but rather what she represented: the abject world under communist rule.

=__ Works Cited __ =

Braun, D. (2003, March 7). //How They Found National Geographic's "Afghan Girl"//. Retrieved Februray 23, 2011, from Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines | National Geographic News: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/03/0311_020312_sharbat.html // Cold War Museum //. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2011, from Cold War Museum: http://www.coldwar.org/ Hall, S. (2003). //Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices.// London: The Open University. Newman, C. (2002, April). //A Life Revealed//. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from National Geographic: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text Peck, M. (2009, August 20). //Looking beyond the 'Afghan Girl'//. Retrieved Febuary 18, 2010, from Orlando Weekly: http://www2.orlandoweekly.com/artsculture/story.asp?id=13386 Said, E. (1979). //Orientalism.// New York: Vintage Books. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">Sontag, S. (2010). //On Photography//. Retrieved 20 2011, February, from The Susan Sontag Foundation: http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/books/onPhotographyExerpt.shtml

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">**__ Appendix: __** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">