CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS - REPRESENTING OTHERNESS

Cultural Encounters examines a diverse range of media and art forms, from film to advertisements, photography to poetry, in an attempt to explore the cultural politics of Europe's encounters with Brazil, India, Australia and Africa. The book offers news ways of understanding the encounters between members of different cultural groups by analyzing the diversity of ways in which 'otherness' has been constituted and transformed in contemporary and historical contexts. The authors begin by examining how cultural and historical unity and difference are represented in the art forms of the countries, and also look at the European penchant for creating an 'other' from these depictions. Hallam and Street then explore the social, cultural and political ramifications involved in the display of cultural artwork, and the power that the museum holds in determining markers of 'otherness' by privileging certain forms of information and neglecting others. The book looks at key areas of debate in terms of race andgender, power and prestige in the world of cultural art.