This session examines how photography mediates the histories of labor, architecture, and gender in Asian (post)colonial contexts, particularly in Macao. It brings together five researchers who are members of the LabourMap-Macao project, complemented by an external respondent. Focusing on four case studies from 1849 to 1999, the project’s research explores how photography has documented and, at times, obscured the presence and roles of laborers–particularly women–within the processes of construction. Despite its inherent subjectivities and constraints, photography captures both the built environment and the standpoint of those behind the lens, revealing layers of power, visibility, and authorship.

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