Visibility and Voice

Visual sociology has been mainly concerned with visual communication or visual expressions of the social. Less explored is the relation of the visual to the voice and the visual as voice. Bodies "give off" signs (Goffman) and can thus be read as symptoms of inner life. But they also "give" signs, and its utterances may be understood as a kind of speech act. The presentation will attempt a re-reading of Habermas theory of communicative action – considering the potentials of vocality and visibility for communicative reflexivity and a critical engagement with the social. We will explore visual and vocal activities which challenge boundaries  between social domains through provocation, silliness, critique and displays of anger. Examples will draw from digital cultures research into online video practices and empirical research in disability studies.