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The Baby Bomber

School of English Studies, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.mark.robson{at}nottingham.ac.uk

This article offers a reading of an image of a child dressed in the uniform of a Palestinian suicide bomber that circulated under the name ‘The baby bomber’. The author examines both the claims made about the picture by Israeli and Palestinian authorities, and the reception of the image in the Western media. Focusing on the representation of childhood and the representation of suicide, which come together in this image, the article addresses the emphasis on repetition, temporality and threat that marks the reception of the photograph. Linking the image to debates around the pornographic and September 11, the discussion is informed by the work of Derrida, Barthes, Baudrillard and others.

Key Words: childhood • photography • repetition • suicide • terrorism

Journal of Visual Culture, Vol. 3, No. 1, 63-76 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1470412904042268


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