This thesis researches a number of key conceptualisations of photography that lead the photographic discourse. One of its leading threads runs via two domains which supposedly stand in opposition...Show moreThis thesis researches a number of key conceptualisations of photography that lead the photographic discourse. One of its leading threads runs via two domains which supposedly stand in opposition to one another: the aesthetic domain of the photograph has hampered its socio-political manifestation. A photograph identified as a work of art is at disadvantage of finding recognition for its social or political value since quality is measured first and foremost by means of aesthetic parameters. In Ariella Azoulay's theoretical work on photography lies a means of bridging photography’s aesthetic dimension to its socio-political nature. Using the concept of sensus communis as a tool for understanding Azoulay's conceptions, this thesis looks into the transitioning understanding of photography’s socio-political nature in relation to its aesthetic nature that evolved during the historical course of photographic theory.Show less