AN EXERCISE IN WORLDMAKING 2009 - ISS

16 What’s Yours is Mine 185
BACKGROUND
NatGeo speaks as ‘fact,’ and therefore exemplifies the true danger of
speaking as though the experience of the beholder is not only the human
experience, but also ‘fact.’ Often NatGeo represents the world through
androcentric-Eurocentric perspectives, creating damaging, distorted discourse
because of its limitations on definitions of difference. Established
in 1888 in the U.S, NatGeo is its third largest magazine, with more than
ten million subscribers. As Steet describes, ‘Having been given privileged
educational space that material from popular culture is generally denied,
[NatGeo] has long been a staple of school, public, and home libraries
across the country,’ and ‘for more than a century, North-Americans have
learned something of their sense of self and other by way of [NatGeo’s]
worldview’ (2000:2-3). Until the mid-1960s, the magazine’s slogan was ‘It
Identifies You.’ Currently it reads, ‘Inspiring people to care about the
globe,’ engaging popular development discourses. NatGeo has presented
certain images and frames of the Third World, such as the symbolization
of veiled women, as commodities to be uncovered and discovered, as
exemplified through the adventurous process of ‘A Life Revealed.’ The
article’s author, Cathy Newman, is a senior writer for NatGeo, most
known for her work on perfume, fashion and women photographers
(nationalgeographic.com n.d.) While Newman is a third-party author of
the narrative, at times she becomes an authoritative and omniscient voice
within the minds of characters, expressing their motives.
The Photographer
The photographer of the original 1985 ‘Afghan Girl’ is Steve McCurry,
‘recognized universally as one of today’s finest image-makers’ (McCurry
2009). McCurry’s career began with photographs of the previous conflict
in Afghanistan, highlighted by the ‘Afghan Girl,’ one of the most globally
recognizable photographs from which McCurry gained great benefits
in terms of career status, reputation and livelihood.
(Un)Intended Audiences
By examining the actual (Austrian edition) NatGeo magazine, I found
advertisements by: Rolex, Cartier, Elouda Bay Palace Hotel, Shell, Land
Rover and Siemens. Judging by the class of companies and products, the
magazine caters to affluent readers. Models featured in advertisements