Featuring Photographer and Visuals Editor Roberto (Bear) Guerra (B.A. '95, Anthropology, with a concentration in Peace Studies)
Invented in 1826, photography is celebrating its 200th birthday this year. Technology has changed dramatically since that first photo was taken, and today the world finds itself drowning in a sea of visual imagery that is increasingly difficult to verify. Can photography continue to play a role in making the world a more just and peaceful one? If so, how?
Photography has many uses, but perhaps one of the most consequential has been its role in helping to shape public opinion and create societal change. Since the late 1800s, the camera has been used to raise awareness about what Lewis Hine, one of the first social documentary photographers, described as “the things that had to be corrected… and the things that had to be appreciated.”
The camera is a unique tool that offers the chance to see things we might not otherwise see, and to empathize with people we might never meet. But if not used carefully, photographs can be just as effective at distancing the viewer from the subject.
Anne Hayner, associate director for alumni relations, will introduce Guerra, who will touch on the challenges and opportunities of photography’s continued role as an agent of change, and will share some of his own work from the last two decades focused on environmental and social justice, development, globalization and other themes.
A reception and gallery of work will be available for viewing after the lecture. To see Guerra’s work, visit: https://bearguerra.com/
Read more about Guerra's career path and time at Notre Dame here.
The Kroc Institute’s Distinguished Alumni Award honors Notre Dame graduates in peace studies whose careers and lives exemplify the ideals of international peacebuilding. Each year the Distinguished Alumnus, who is selected by committee, travels to Notre Dame's campus to deliver a public lecture and meet with current peace studies students.
Originally published at kroc.nd.edu.