Week 2

As a journalism student interested in photography and videography, the "Women's Prisons" piece was especially attention grabbing. First, the entire idea of using a postcard with an image of a concubine in it is entirely new to me. I had no idea that at any point in history it was considered normal to juxtapose a message to a loved one with an "erotic" image of a woman imprisoned. Although American society is bombarded with eroticized images on a daily basis with modern advertising, these postcards seemed particularly jarring. Not only was the written piece lacking context to provide a better understanding of where and for what purpose this photography was being done, but the characterization of the photographer also disturbed me. For example, Grosrichard states "These bodies may be out of reach, but their very remoteness reveals the voyeurism of the camera operator." (25) With descriptions like this, I was only further troubled with this piece.

Within the theme of the "woman imprisoned in her own home" Stoler's "Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power" provided an in depth understanding of the concubine system. Overall, it provided a much better understanding of concubinage in terms of colonial interests. In particular, the section on governments and private businesses actively encouraging concubinage was surprising. (17) When I read that they not only restricted European women emigration but also refused to employ married European males, I was reminded of the discussion in class on the differences between formal structures in society and issues for the independent individual. Stoler's entire piece on concubinage delineated how the social issue worked within (and was in this case encouraged by) the larger framework of government and business.