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Abstracts
Abstract
The Swiss photographer Jean Mohr, who died in November 2018 at the age of 93, is well known for his long career documenting the plight of the displaced and dispossessed. Especially noteworthy are his collaborations with major intellectual figures, through which he experimented with the construction of visual narratives. His celebrated books with John Berger include *A Fortunate Man*, an intimate portrait of an English country doctor, and A Seventh Man, a meditation on migrant labour in 1970s Europe; with Edward Said, he published After the Last Sky, a reflection on Palestinian life through the fusion of text and photography. Partially based on a short interview conducted with Mohr in early 2018, this paper reflects on his life and work, taking the reader on a journey mediated by our conversation. In particular, I explore the development of his unique approach to photography and the experimental construction of visual narratives. In so doing, I argue that Mohr’s work offers social scientists, particularly those engaged in studying processes of migration or zones of conflict, ways of constructing more effective, more engaged, and more experiential accounts of complex social realities.
Résumé
Le photographe suisse Jean Mohr, décédé en novembre 2018 à l’âge de 93 ans, est connu pour sa longue carrière de documentation du sort des personnes déplacées et dépossédées. Ses collaborations avec de grandes figures intellectuelles, à travers lesquelles il a expérimenté la construction de récits visuels, sont particulièrement remarquables. Ses livres célèbres avec John Berger comprennent A Fortunate Man, un portrait intime d’un médecin de campagne anglais, et A Seventh Man, une méditation sur le travail des migrants dans l’Europe des années 1970 ; avec Edward Said, il a publié After the Last Sky, une réflexion sur la vie palestinienne à travers la fusion du texte et de la photographie. Partiellement basé sur un court entretien réalisé avec Mohr au début de 2018, cet article réfléchit à sa vie et à son œuvre, entraînant le lecteur dans un voyage médiatisé par notre conversation. J’explore en particulier le développement de son approche unique de la photographie et la construction expérimentale de récits visuels. Ce faisant, je soutiens que le travail de Mohr offre aux spécialistes des sciences sociales, en particulier ceux qui sont engagés dans l’étude des processus de migration ou des zones de conflit, des moyens de construire des comptes rendus plus efficaces, plus engagés et plus expérientiels de réalités sociales complexes.
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Appendices
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