W. J. Thomas Mitchell

Tom Mitchell is primarily a theorist of the visual arts and has written several seminal accounts of the role of visual imagery in public culture, and has authored ground-breaking studies on the role of images in political and social life, and in the critique and legitimation of political power. He has also contributed influential work on theories of interpretation, poetics, and media theory. Equally as important as his scholarly work has been his long-time editorship of the most influential journal in American~humanities, Critical Inquiry. His stewardship of the journal has been a model of taste, daring, and intellectual integrity.