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JAY RUBY
Tiana Simmonds
Kyle Arking
Noah Haye
Group 2
Steven Bell
Andres Castillo
By Tiana S.
Jay Ruby is a visual anthropologist who has been exploring the relationship between culture and visual mediums for over 40 years.
He is an American scholar and was once a professor of Anthropology at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Ruby received his B.A. in history, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California between 1960 and 1969.
Life
He has co-produced, directed and wrote two award winning ethnographic documentaries, A Country Auction (1984) and Can I Get A Quarter? (1985)
Since 1960 he has edited various scholarly and popular journals on American archeology, pop culture, and visual anthropology. His writings have been translated into Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Japanese, and Estonian.
Quick Fact
Retired from Temple University in 2003.
A founding member and past president of the Society for the Anthropology of Visual Communication.
Quick Fact 2
By Noah H. & Steven B.
In keeping with Ruby's theory of film being a tool for anthropological research, he has made a few ethnographic films that have received praise. As displayed by films like A Country Auction: The Paul v. Leitzel Sale (1983, dir. Ruby), his films have always had a focus on the working class. In that movie, it focuses on the processes that rural Pennsylvania families go through involving their properties and auctions. It's an ethical film that is shot as if you are walking around with these families.
Work
He would also make documentaries involving oppressed groups like the LGBTQ+ and black people in Oak Park Stories (2006, dir. Ruby) which is also one of his best known movies. This is filmed as more of a "day in the life" for these people, giving you insight into things that might not have seen the light of day otherwise. Unlike something like Born into Brothels, this ultimately lets the naturalistic visuals and dialogue speak for itself.
Films
A Country Auction: The Paul V. Leitzel Sale 1983 (Award Winning)
Can I Get A Quarter? 1983 (Award Winning)
Rebekah and Sophie: A Lesbian Family 2005
Taylor Family Portrait 2005
Dear Old Oak Parkers 2006
Oak Park Regional Housing Center 2006
Val 2006
Country Auction Study Film: Reflexive Musings 2010
More Works
Major Publications
Secure the Shadow: Death and Photography in America. Cambridge: MIT Press. 1995
The World of Francis Cooper: Nineteenth Century Pennsylvania Photographer. University Park: Penn State University Press. 1999
Picturing Culture: Essays on Film and Anthropology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2000
Editor with Larry Gross and John Katz. Image Ethics in the Digital World. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2003
Editor with Marcus Banks. Made to Be Seen: Historical Perspectives on Visual Anthropology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2011
Editor, A Crack in the Mirror: Reflexive Perspectives in Anthropology. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 1982
Editor, Robert J. Flaherty, A Biography. Written by Paul Rotha. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 1983
Editor with Larry Gross and John Katz. Image Ethics: The Moral Rights of Subjects in Photographs, Film and Television. New York: Oxford University Press. 1988
By Andres C.
Theory: The Camera and The Anthropologist
Theory
Jay Ruby followed a theory of film that was based on scientific research. The research analysis of filmed behavior came before the invention of the cinema. He believed the importance of visual images came from their state of purity.
“Uncontaminated by interpretation” (Page 42, Par 4), visual images show the physical states of what is being recorded, instead of a verbal description up to the interpretation of the author. He saw this as authentic. The camera became not only a tool of expression, but also a tool of research. Just like a microscope has expanded our vision in space, according to Ruby, cameras have expanded our vision in time.
As the camera may have been first used for scientific issues, after WW2, with the decay and disappearance of many cultures, many anthropologist aimed to preserve the values and ideals of these people by documenting their lives and turning it into data.
Theory: The Camera and The Anthropologist
Cont.
This is very reliable data for future generations as it is an amazing primary source. As a result, the camera became one with the anthropologists. As Ruby says it, the camera almost functions as the identity badge for field-workers. The act of walking with a camera has painted a picture of what a proper anthropologist is. Their theory are now to be backed up with visual data.
Visual data that can help us understand the world better, which is what Frank Boas was looking for in his studies. He searched for that basic form of culture that transcend all parts and people of the world. The one factor that every culture shares, that idea that later forms the differences and similarity between cultures.
Theory: The Camera and The Anthropologist
cont.
As a visual anthropologist, the ultimate goal is to find a method and/or theory that allows us to identify the root of all cultures to be able to know how to film and document its information. Just as said in page 54 of Picturing Culture:
The question that comes to mind at this point is, would a theory of culture that logically generated a methodological necessity for gathering data with a camera create a situation in which camera-created information would illuminate a new understanding of culture?
By Kyle A.
Theory on Ethics
Theory on Ethics
“The maker of images has the moral obligation to reveal the covert – never to appear to produce an objective mirror by which the world can see its “true” image” (Ruby 140)
• Ruby believes that the image maker displays their view of the world through their images based on their culture, gender, class, etc.
• There is no such thing as an objective witness of reality. Each image maker provides their own set of beliefs which are subjective.
• “Since the camera never lies, an image maker must perforce by telling the truth” (Ruby 139)
Theory on Ethics
Cont.
• Ruby believes that showcasing the world through dominant cultural representations of our world is unethical. These dominant representations do not represent minorities. The world needs to be seen from the perspectives of all types of people.
• Images have many meanings that are all reliant on context – polysemous
• Some images may be misinterpreted if they are taken out of the context in which they were taken so the public must be aware of this
Theory on Ethics
Cont.
• There are four moral issues that an image maker must consider
- The image maker must be true to his or herself
- The producer must be aware of his or her moral obligation to the subjects of the image
- The producer must be aware of the moral obligation he or she has to the institutions funding the image
- The producer must be aware of the moral obligation to the audience of the image
Theory on Ethics
Cont.
• “a morally acceptable ethical position produces the foundation for a good aesthetic” (Ruby 144)
• “an intelligently used reflexivity is an essential part of all ethically produced documentaries” (Ruby 145)
• One must first consider the right of the subjects being filmed and whether they want to represent the topic. Once an individual is shown on camera, that person becomes the face and symbol associated with the topic at hand. Some subjects will have to decide whether they want to risk their lives and reputation in order to have their story told. It is the ethical duty of the anthropologist to make sure that he or she is given the subject’s consent.
Theory on Ethics
Cont.
• Ruby believes that images used for political purposes have little influence over people. If image makers spend as much money on helping build educational institutions or any other societal programs as they do on images, there would be even more progress of making the world a better place.
• One of Ruby’s most notable beliefs is that the filmic illusion of reality gives the image industry too much power. The audience has believed that whatever they see on film is true. If this belief persists, any image maker can make anyone believe anything is true. Reality can be reshaped by whatever power that is in control.
Citations & Sources
Edu, Temple. “Jay Ruby A Biographical Note.” Astro Temple, 2003, astro.temple.edu/~ruby/opp/rubybio.html.
Ruby, Jay. Picturing Culture: Explorations of Film and Anthropology. The University of Chicago Press, 2008.