Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self

by Coco Fusco (Editor), Brian Wallis (Editor)

Exploring the role of photography in shaping modern ideas about race, nation, and selfhood, this critical study--enhanced by three hundred full-color images that reflect an array of genres and movements--assesses the impact of photography on race and racial identity.

Genres: Photography, Art, Race

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Garconniere · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i visited new york city in 2009 i stumbled into a random tiny bookstore that was a treasure trove of fantastic art books. this was among them, and was a steal on sale for ten dollars. even though i had to tow it around with me for three days before i headed home it was well worth the hassle. one of the most incredible books i've ever read, mapping out the pervasive racism that permeates visual art culture. a great read for many different interests, cultural theory, artists, activists, students, teachers. love it.

[Isadora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is required for my DNA class- but I still love it. Very well written. Very enlightening on the subject of race as a political invention.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Gonzalez and Coco Fusco...swoon!

[Muriel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite being over twenty years old this book contains essays which are incredibly relevant. The essays are appropriately dense and filled with references unfamiliar to me, sending me googling to understand. This book was a valuable educational experience for me, and the range of images included were frequently new to me, and excellent in providing support for the ideas and concepts discussed.

[Miguel Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old essays with old but fundamental ideas on race construction in photography

[Dr. A · Rating 4 out of 5]

---
Read this and more reviews of Philosophy books on the History page of www.BestPhilosophyBooks.org (a thinkPhilosophy Production).
---

The cover is a photograph of Gordon Parks, and it is an image referencing Ralph Ellison's _Invisible Man_ emerging from the bowels of the city.

I'm revisiting this book in preparation for teaching in the Fall. The tome has definitely grown on me. Each visit I discover something new, this time Sekula's article on the "Traffic in Photographs." Excellent exposition of the way in which photography, a form of representation that skirts art and document, has been put to use in anthropological representations of race, ethnicity, and gender. The section on Steichen's "The Family of Man" is just fantastic! In the back of my head as I re-read some of these articles I can hear Coco Fusco saying how we have so much trauma around race, but that race and its representation are also a source of much pleasure. So now, I am looking for the pleasures of race, much like I had to learn to look for the pleasures of gender... Which brings me to the essay on "The Consumption of Lynching Images" (Raiford). The images in this piece, fronts-piece and end cap, are worth the gander. ... "How can this photograph EXIST?" The horror and the pleasure of looking at these images.... makes me wonder what it really means to be human.

---
Read this and more reviews of Philosophy books on the History page of www.BestPhilosophyBooks.org (a thinkPhilosophy Production).
---

[Marie]

I saw the "Only Skin Deep" exhibit a few years ago at the International Center of Photography and was blown away by the photo displays...i can't wait to get a hold of this book and revisit the visuals and the commentary presented here by Coco Fusco. I think some of the texts featured in this book would be great for classroom use!!

[Cecelia]

I had to read it for a class.