A red smiling sun, of all things, is the icon of the global anti-nuclear movement. This political motif was drafted in 1975 to constitute a contrast to the atomic threat. What does this symbol and the theme of my thesis have in common?
Employing the example of images used by German environmental groups between 1950 and 1990, my PhD thesis examines the politics of pictures. I focus in particular on the inherent power of images to exert influence on their surroundings. Using the methodic approaches of Visual (Cultural) History, I will examine if the images in question could develop performativity as a form of social action in its own right. I will ask if, why, how and when images such as the Smiling Sun exerted agency and why others did not.

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dieter Scott