Double Explosures

"Bal shows how central to the study of culture are acts of exposure -of presenting, revealing, laying bare to the ´thruth´ of the cultural objects one analyzes. Whether what is placed on public view is a picture, a poem, or another scholar´s point of view, the rhetoric of persuasion in the humanities makes its claim to thruth through specific conventions of display whose structures of power and authority are all of ten hidden or masked from view. Through a brilliant series of case studies from art history, museum studies, anthropology, and literary criticism, Bal´s study investigates the moral choices and dilemmas that face anyone who engages in the public discussion of culture, and points toward more humane, nuanced, and astute practices of scholarship. A remarkable book, and as sharp as it is wise". (Norman Bryson, Harvard University)