Human Beings and their Images: Imagination, Mimesis, Performativity

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Bringing the image into dialogue with the imagination, mimesis and performativity, Christoph Wulf illuminates the historical, cultural and philosophical aspects of the relationship between images and human beings, looking both at its conceptual and physical manifestations. Wulf explores the cultural power of the image. He shows that images take root in our personal and collective imaginaries to determine how we feel, how we perceive the arts and culture, and how our bodies respond with physical actions, in games and dance to rituals and gesture. By showing how imagination occupies an essential place in our daily conduct, Wulf makes a significant contribution to how we think about the role of images in culture, the arts and society.

Reviews

Christoph Wulfs anthropological approach to images, studying the way we appropriate them through mimesis and rituals, and their power to shape the personality and generate multiple human worlds, makes this an indispensable book for anyone interested in their role in culture, the arts, the training of the body, and the rise of the personal and social imaginaries. This is one of the broadest works on the subject available in English. * Joan Ramon Resina, Professor of Comparative Literature, Stanford University, USA *
This is an engaging and important read which explores the role played by images and human beings understandings of images. Wulf carefully explores the relationships between image, imagination, the imaginary, ritualistic practices and mimesis, offering an anthropological lens on these and the position (and power) of the image. A powerful book, which will be of interest to researchers from a range of disciplines. * Jessica Bradley, Lecturer in Literacies, University of Sheffield, UK *
In the tradition of philosophical anthropology, Christoph Wulf brings alive discussions of the human that had more recently fallen out of favour. Moving deftly between the image and the imagination, this erudite and deeply satisfying work does justice to both the universal capacity enabling our singular engagement with images and the cultural differences defining us in our temporal worlds. * John Borneman, Professor of Anthropology, Princeton University, USA *

Author Bio

Christoph Wulf is Professor of Anthropology and Philosophy of Education and Co-Founder of the Interdisciplinary Center for Historical Anthropology at the Free University of Berlin, Germany.