We are delighted to share some exciting news: The first issue of ZARE: Horizons in Visual Anthropology is out!
ZARE is the new name and new chapter of the newsletter that has connected visual anthropologists across continents since Asen Balikci began circulating the CVA newsletter in 1988. What you are reading now is part of that same long story now renewed, expanded, and international.
This first issue brings together a rich mix of voices and perspectives, from an extended interview with Peter Ian Crawford on the early history of NAFA and the CVA, to a conversation with Roger Canals on the Visual Trust ERC project, reflections on Lisbet Holtedahl’s career in ethnographic filmmaking, a piece on Indigenous visual politics in Colombia, a story from NAFA’s 2025 film festival in Skopje, and more.
The name says something about our ambitions. Zare is Romanian for skyline, sheen, and summit, an image of looking outward from a shared vantage point. We want ZARE to be exactly that.
Many thanks to Christian Suhr and Muhammad Mustapha for the cover images from the ‘Light Upon Light’ film for this new identity, as well as to all the contributors who entrusted us with their work for this inaugural issue.
We would love to hear from you. Essays, reviews, reflections on your work, news from your programs and festivals are all welcome. You can submit through the NAFA website here. We also encourage you to explore and contribute to the Visual Anthropology Map, a growing community-built resource of VA programs, labs, festivals, and collectives worldwide.
Please share this widely. Our community is growing.
Warm wishes,
The ZARE Editorial Team