JOURNAL ARTICLE

Shipwreck Media: Crisis Ornaments and How to Read Them.

  • Published In: JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies, 2025, v. 65, n. 1. P. 106 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Mukherjee, Debashree 3 of 3

Abstract

On July 25, 2020, amid global COVID-19 lockdowns, the MV Wakashio ran aground off the coast of Mauritius. Drawing on a range of materialist media theory, this article analyzes shipwrecks as media. It revisits Siegfried Kracauer's concept of the mass ornament to approach shipwrecks as "crisis ornaments"—non-figurative and highly mediatized disasters that tend to abstract systemic crises. Examining photography, literature, and oil spills, the article explores how histories of racial capitalism have shaped Mauritius, demonstrating the value of improbable media objects in reconsidering the role of cultural and aesthetic inquiry in our current epoch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies. 2025/10, Vol. 65, Issue 1, p106
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:2578-4900
  • Accession Number:189327210
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of JCMS: Journal of Cinema & Media Studies is the property of Society of Cinema & Media Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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