Practices of Viewing: An Introduction to Visual Culture for All Generations of Image-Makers

We use words to understand, describe, and define the world we see, and we do the same with images.
Any image or object looks back at us—
that is, a call, an appeal, or a statement—
to summon the human subject looking at it.

Visual culture is central to how we communicate. Images and visual technologies dominate our lives, and thanks to them, ideas, information, and politics circulate globally and locally. In this increasingly visual world, what is the best way to help us decipher and understand the many images we see every day, and how do various practices of looking organize our daily lives?

Practices of Looking, in its new edition, offers a comprehensive and fascinating overview of how we understand a wide array of visual media, and how we use images to express ourselves, communicate, play, and learn. Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright, leading scholars in the vibrant and emerging field of visual culture and communication, examine various approaches to visual analysis and guide readers through important theories and concepts.

This full-color new edition has been extensively and thoroughly revised to incorporate the latest theoretical research, examining new topics such as: the proliferation of new media technologies; the impact of globalization on the flow of information and on media forms and content; and how nationalism and security concerns have changed viewing practices after 9/11. Practices of Looking is an ideal, challenging yet accessible book that can guide us across different academic disciplines, including media and film studies, communication, art history, and philosophy.

To understand this complex, contradictory, and endlessly enjoyable visual world, the beautifully designed, large-format, full-color new edition of Practices of Looking is the best valuable guide.