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Photojournalism East/West: The Cold War, the Iron Curtain, and the Trade of Photographs

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Media and the Cold War in the 1980s

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media ((PSHM))

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Abstract

During the Cold War, Eastern and Western Europe saw a vivid exchange of photographs. News agencies like the Associated Press and the East German Zentralbild signed contracts that regulated the trade of news photos; various exhibitions (like the famous “Family of Man”) traveled to both the East and the West. Western photographers covered Eastern Europe while Eastern photographers (travel cadres as well as independent freelancers) took trips to the West. The focus of this chapter is on the various professionals involved, including news photographers, members of the Kulturbund (the Cultural Association of the GDR), and informal networks that brought together individuals from various countries. It turns out that restrictions in the field of photography were far less effective than in text- and word-related fields of cultural production.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Media History, Zentrum für Zeithistorische Forschung/Centre for Contemporary History, Potsdam, Germany

    Annette Vowinckel

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  1. Annette Vowinckel
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Correspondence to Annette Vowinckel .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Volda University College, Volda, Norway

    Henrik G. Bastiansen

  2. New York University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Martin Klimke

  3. Volda University College, Volda, Norway

    Rolf Werenskjold

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Vowinckel, A. (2019). Photojournalism East/West: The Cold War, the Iron Curtain, and the Trade of Photographs. In: Bastiansen, H.G., Klimke, M., Werenskjold, R. (eds) Media and the Cold War in the 1980s. Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98382-0_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98382-0_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98381-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98382-0

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