I don't think it would be appropriate to alter the image itself, as the ethnographer is not the photographer. Maybe to show some context, a photo of the image within its publication could be added.
This photo reveals how toxicity has deeply penetrated not just the soil, water, and food supply of Turkey (and other nations), but the justice system as well. Without knowing anything about the case aside from what the caption has told me, I am outraged at the injustice but hopeful. The photo inspires hope in the future of the struggle against toxicity--as the author suggests, smiling under these circumstances is a radical act of optimism.
It reminds us that toxicity is not only a chemical reaction. It is also an ethical, political, behavioral reaction. A lot of times it brings communities together and strengthens their ties, in this case a group of academics.
Who are the supporters in the picture? Are they academics? People affected by cancer, are the they relatives? Does showing up in the courthouse make them targeted people? Are they already targeted? There is also a silencing pattern in Ecuador making it really hard to speak up because it’s hard to get public support.
It is a newspaper photograph. It’s not clear who took the picture, a journalist? Someone from the group of academics? Someone from the justice department? Without the caption it would be hard to know what the gathering was about. The place doesn’t look like a typical courthouse either so it’s hard to relate it to a justice process. I can’t really relate the image to “toxicity” without the caption.
I think it would be very useful if the image included something suggesting that it’s a courthouse, and if possible something to indicate its connection to the toxic spaces it is documenting.
Environmental toxicity in its material form can lead to a figurative kind of toxicity. It’s frequent that the behavior and relations around toxicity is also toxic. But as a cliché, there’s always something good we can get out of it: in this case the solidarity of the group of people. It is also important to note that the whole lawsuit process also makes the toxicity more visible to people and history.
I very much enjoyed the “collage” quality of this image, the product of purposeful juxtapositions that draw out a critical understanding of the idea of containment and toxicity.
This is a strong visualization that helps further your argument that air pollution is not simply "naturally" dispersed "universally" but in fact spatially differentiated. The constructed nature of this image also reinforces another idea I think you want us to pause on, which is that air pollution is hard to see, even for the people the most concerned about alleviating unjust exposure.
Your caption mentions that decongestion solutions have moved polluting enterpises away from the center and into the peripheries of the city--what exactly are these industries that cause air pollution? And who is most vulnerable in these peripheral locations near the political borders of the city--is this a residential area?
