Photography theory.

We cite from the cover :
"Now that photography is accorded the status of a fine art and routinely taught in an art historical context, it is more necessary than ever to clarify the basis of that valuation. Strangely, there has been little new theorizing on photography since the 1980s: artists and historians continue to draw on a range of older sources, from Charles Peirce and Roland Barthes to Pierre Bourdieu.
What, then, are the optimal ways of conceptualizing photography?
Photography Theory consists of a group of essays—by Jan Baetcns, Diarmuid Costello, Margaret Iversen, Thierry De Duve, and Rosalind Krauss—which form the basis of a conversation by nine leading art theorists and critics of photography. Twenty-six scholars then offer their commentary on that conversation, in a variety of forms. Also included is a short history of theories of photography and two concluding synoptic essays. With its unusual structure and the participation of some of the most prominent thinkers on the subject—including Krauss, Abigail Solomon-Godeau, Victor Burgin, Alan Trachtenberg, Geoffrey Batchen, Liz Wells, and Joel Snyder—Photography Theory gives a unique perspective of contemporary debates about the art of photography."
CONTENTS :
Series Preface ;
I. INTRODUCTION :
1. Sabine T. Kriebel: Theories of Photography: A Short History ;
II STARTING POINTS :
2. Jan Baetens: Conceptual Limitations of Our Reflection on Photography: The Question of "Interdisciplinarity" ;
3. Diarmuid Costello: After Medium Specificity Chez Fried: Jeff Wall as a Painter; Gerhard Richter as a Photographer ;
4. Margaret Iversen: Following Pieces: On Performative Photography ;
5. Thierry de Duve: Time Exposure and Snapshot: The Photograph as Paradox ;
6. Rosalind Krauss: Introductory Note ;
III THE ART SEMINAR :
Jan Baetens, Diarmuid Costello, James Elkins, Jonathan Friday, Margaret Iverson, Sabine Kriebel, Margaret Olin, Graham Smith, Joel Snyder
IV ASSESSMENTS :
Michael Leja, Nancy Shawcross, Anne Collins Goodyear, Peggy Ann Kusnerz, Alan Cohen, Martin Lefebvre, David Green, Sharon Sliwinski, David Bate, Abigail Solomon-Godeau, Michel Frizot, Geoffrey Batchen, Johan Swinnen, Hilde Van Gelder, David Campany, Joanna Lowry, Carol Squiers, Patrick Maynard, Vivan Sundaram, Rosalind Krauss, Liz Wells, Beth E. Wilson, Martin Lister, Shepherd Steiner, Alan Trachtenberg, Victor Burgin, Joel Snyder ;
V AFTERWORDS :
7. Anne McCauley : The Trouble with Photography ;
8. Walter Benn Michaels: Photographs and Fossils;
Notes on Contributors ;
Index.