Refract: An Open Access Visual Studies Journal

Visual studies is a method of looking. Yet, it is a method of looking that aims to supersede what we might frame as “visual,” interrogating hegemonic tropes vested in that which we “see.” Visual studies is a contentious discipline, still preoccupied with defining itself or, perhaps, intent on evading a reified definition. Despite that, dozens of enthusiastic thinkers, including Refract’s editorial board members, enroll in graduate programs annually in the United States, pointing to the value in such an elusive discipline.