International Visual Sociologists Take a Look at Pittsburgh

What does a post-industrial society look like? For visual sociologists, who concern themselves with making and interpreting images that reflect social life, the top place for this discussion is Pittsburgh.

Duquesne will host the 2014 International Visual Sociology Association conference, Visual Dialogues in Post-industrial Societies: Transforming the Gaze, from June 26-28.

“The conference theme is predicated on the idea that contemporary urban life in many parts of the world is being transformed by a process of de-industrialization, just as it was transformed by industrialization 100-plus years ago,” said Dr. Douglas Harper, professor of sociology and president of the association. “We can study these transformations visually and imagine new urban spaces that will address both the failures of current economic and social policies, as well as new beginnings for new urban life.”

Approximately 150 visual sociologists will arrive on campus from Africa, North and South America, Asia, Europe and Australia for the three-day gathering. The group will explore topics such as framing society, making ethnographic videos, using Photovoice and changing health behaviors with visual images. Among many other activities, attendees will view work from the Pittsburgh Filmmakers and participate in a workshop titled Exploring Gentrification: An Italian American Neighborhood in Pittsburgh.

The association’s previous annual meetings gathered in London, Brooklyn, Vancouver, Bologna and Buenos Aires, but Pittsburgh is a perfect spot for this year’s theme, said Harper. “Pittsburgh is the quintessential example of both the dramatic decline of de-industrialization and the (partial) remaking of a new urban order,” Harper said.

Besides Harper, Dr. Charles Hanna, a qualitative sociologist and director of the Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy, serves as a committee member of the association.

The group’s annual meetings began 31 years ago with seven members, said Harper, who was a founding member. Today, the organization has more than 500 members from over 30 countries. Harper is the founding editor of the group’s journal, Visual Studies, and served in that capacity for 13 years.