Van den Berg, Dirk2017-09-082017-09-082002Van den Berg, D. (2002). Imagining yourself one of a multitude: ideology critique of urban crowd depictions. Acta Academica, 34(2), 1-35.0587-2405 (print)2415-0479 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/6852English: Revisiting the array of image formats for the scenic picturing of urban environments and concomitant spectator roles, the topic of this investigation is how certain crowd formations serve as manifestations of ideological power in modern cities. Examples of crowd depictions are drawn from both visual art and popular culture. Michel de Certeau sees panoptic surveillance in the modern city as calling forth a “scenic other” located below its threshold of visibility. Prompted by this notion, the aim of this study is to investigate the historical conjunctions between stereotypical views of urban masses and urban spaces in ideological perspectives, as well as certain typiconic features of a number of alternative visual traditions in Western depictions of the populace in urban settings.Afrikaans: Die onderwerp van hierdie herbeskouing van beeldformate en verwante betragtersrolle in scéniese uitbeeldings van stedelike omgewings is bepaalde skareformasies waardeur ideologiese mag in moderne stede gemanifesteer word. Voorbeelde van skarevoorstellings in die visuele kunste sowel as die populêre kultuur word betrek. Panoptiese bewaking in die moderne stad roep volgens Michel de Certeau ’n “scéniese andere” op, geleë ónder die drempel van sigbaarheid. Met dié siening as vertrekpunt, word kultuurhistoriese verbande ondersoek tussen stereotipe sienings van stedelike massas en stedelike ruimtes in bepaalde ideologiese beskouings en, aan die ander kant, die tipikoniese eienskappe van ’n aantal alternatiewe visuele tradisies wat ’n rol gespeel het in Westerse voorstellings van stedelike bevolkings.enUrban environmentsUrban crowdsVisual artIdeology critiqueArticleUniversity of the Free State