Researchers Lise Zurné and Charlotte Bruns (Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication) will collaborate with Seyed Abolfazl Shobeiri (Leiden University) and Rafael Ramírez Eudave (Delft University of Technology) on the pilot project ‘Seeing in Context: Reflecting on the Ethical Use of Sensitive Photographs in Media Practices’. They have received an LDE (Leiden-Delft-Erasmus) Seed Fund for this project. Funded by the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre Programme for Global Heritage and Development, this project investigates how professionals in the media and heritage sectors can deal with historical photographs.
The project aims to identify needs and challenges related to the ethical use of images. Photographs are widely used in advertising, journalism, and education to address complex social issues. However, they often reproduce stereotypes and strip subjects of their historical and cultural context, reinforcing unequal power dynamics. This project will critically engage with photographic collections and develop practical tools for professionals working with images.
The initiative will involve setting up partnerships with civil society organisations and organising workshops that bring together researchers, image editors, journalists, archivists and curators to exchange knowledge, discuss shared concerns and identify best practices. The insights gained from these workshops will form the basis for the future development of a toolkit for ethical image use, which may be integrated into professional training courses and educational programmes.
This project aligns with the LDE Global Heritage and Development Program’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research and the critical examination of heritage in contemporary contexts. By fostering collaboration between departments, universities and societal partners, the project aims to contribute to more inclusive and ethically informed visual communication practices.
- Researcher
- Researcher
- More information
Read more about the Centre for Global Heritage and Development.
Information about the origins/collection of the used picture can be found on the website of Rijksmuseum.
