People – Images – One World. Images of People in German-speaking Missionary Journals from Imperial Germany

How did the early mass media depicted the “others”? What concepts of one’s “own“ and of “foreign“ were communicated in the images and photographs published in missionary journals in the Imperial period? This project was dedicated to investigating visual constructions and representations of one’s “own” and of “foreign” in religious publications in Imperial Germany. In particular, the focus was placed on the use and function of graphical depictions and their pictorial content. The aim of the project was to gain fundamental insights into the dynamics and aesthetics of visual representations of people from other ethnic backgrounds in Christian missionary journals. These were discussed at an international and interdisciplinary workshop and presented in an exhibition and a publication. The project was conducted in cooperation with Christoph Nebgen (of the Institut für Kirchengeschichte in Mainz)

Project leader: PD Dr. Judith Becker

Based on the research project, the publication "Menschen – Bilder – Eine Welt Ordnungen von Vielfalt in der religiösen Publizistik", edited by Judith Becker and Katharina Stornig, was published in the series "Veröffentlichungen des Instituts für Europäische Geschichte" (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht)