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We’re approaching the 70th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the time, photography was hailed as a “universal language” that could bridge the vast gaps between cultures and affirm our shared humanity.
In the decade since, iconic photos have been lauded, dismissed, condemned and shared. We look back at ten photos – by no means an exhaustive list – that each represent a shift in our approach to human rights.
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This 1904 photograph showing the massacre of villagers by Dutch KNIL forces in the Indonesian village of Koetö Réh was used by the Dutch to argue for the paternalistic colonial state as protector. We now see it as evidence of imperial atrocity.
Collection Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen.
Jane Lydon, University of Western Australia
From depictions of slavery to colonial massacres to contemporary portraits of refugees, photography is a powerful tool in evoking ideas of shared humanity.
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Environment + Energy
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Suprayoga Hadi, Ikatan Ahli Kebencanaan Indonesia
Following an earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi on Friday, search and rescue workers in Central Sulawesi struggle to save victims trapped under rubble due to lack of heavy equipment.
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Health + Medicine
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Steven M Opal, Brown University; J.M. Opal, McGill University
Humans have shown that together we can overcome daunting problems, including deadly pathogens like smallpox. It is a lesson of international cooperation and respect that we should pay attention to.
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Harriet Etheredge, University of the Witwatersrand; Jean Botha, University of the Witwatersrand; June Fabian, University of the Witwatersrand
Doctors in South Africa performed a liver transplant from an HIV-positive donor to a HIV-negative recipient. Major ethical questions came into play.
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Politics + Society
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Anthony Ware, Deakin University; Costas Laoutides, Deakin University
Facing increasing international pressure, Myanmar's one-time star leader is running out of time to show leadership on human rights and the Rohingya crisis.
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Muhammad Fajar, Northwestern University
Universities are never a neutral ground that can be isolated from political processes.
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Science + Technology
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Todd Adams, Florida State University
The Nobel Prize for physics was awarded to three scientists for the inventions of optical tweezers – in which two laser beams can hold a tiny object – and a method for creating powerful lasers.
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Andrew Norton, The Open University
A moon has been spotted in a star system 4000 light years away – but its structure is confusing.
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