Candace M. Keller - Imaging Culture: Photography in Mali, West Africa

Contents

African Expressive Cultures

Patrick McNaughton, editor

Associate editors

Catherine M. Cole

Barbara G. Hoffman

Eileen Julien

Kassim Kon

D. A. Masolo

Elisha Renne

Zo Strother

This book is a publication of

Indiana University Press

Office of Scholarly Publishing

Herman B Wells Library 350

1320 East 10th Street

Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA

iupress.org

2021 by Candace M. Keller

All rights reserved

Cover. Tijani Sitou, See My Henna, 1983. High-resolution digital scan of original 6 6 cm negative. Courtesy Tijani Sitou Estate Tijani Sitou. [Plate 9].

Cover / Book Jacket Author Portrait. Photo of Candace M. Keller by G. L. Kohuth, Michigan State University.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

Manufactured in the United States of America

First printing 2021

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Keller, Candace M., author.

Title: Imaging culture : photography in Mali, West Africa / Candace M. Keller.

Other titles: African expressive cultures.

Description: Bloomington, Indiana : Indiana University Press, 2021. | Series: African expressive cultures | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020055099 (print) | LCCN 2020055100 (ebook) | ISBN 9780253025579 (paperback) | ISBN 9780253057204 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: PhotographyMaliHistory. | PhotographySocial aspectsMali.

Classification: LCC TR119.M34 K45 2021 (print) | LCC TR119.M34 (ebook) | DDC 770.96623dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020055099

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020055100

This book is dedicated to all professional photographers
who worked in Mali and have passed on.

It especially honors Malick Sidib and
my papa, Robert N. Moses.

Although neither lived to see this publication,
it would not exist without their support.

CONTENTS

Plates follow page 392

Research for this project would not have been possible without support from Fulbright-Hays (20034), the British Library (201113), the National Endowment for the Humanities (201417), the US Embassy in Bamako (200317), Indiana University (20025), and Michigan State University (MSU; 200917). I am particularly grateful for the Humanities and Arts Research Program (HARP) production grant from MSU, which helped fund the high-quality paper, color illustrations, and image permissions for this book.

The expert vision of Dee Mortensen and her wonderful team at Indiana University Press, including Sarah Jacobi and Ashante Thomas, and the editorial magic of Leigh McLennon and the staff at Amnet, greatly improved this publication. I thank you all, along with the members of the board, for your patience and perseverance in support of this book over the long haulincluding the three years it took to obtain image permissions.

Since 2002, when my research in Mali began, a great number of individuals and institutions have enabled this project in a variety of ways that warrant acknowledgement.

First, I thank everyone in Mali, France, and the United States who participated in interviews and discussions related to this project.