In defense of things : archaeology and the ontology of objects
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
In defense of things : archaeology and the ontology of objects
（Archaeology in society series）
AltaMira Press, 2013, c2010
- : pbk
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Note
"First paperback edition 2013"--T.p. verso
Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-196) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
In much recent thinking, social and cultural realms are thought of as existing prior to-or detached from-things, materiality, and landscape. It is often assumed, for example, that things are entirely 'constructed' by social or cultural perceptions and have no existence in and of themselves. Bjornar Olsen takes a different position. Drawing on a range of theories, especially phenomenology and actor-network-theory, Olsen claims that human life is fully mixed up with things and that humanity and human history emerge from such relationships. Things, moreover, possess unique qualities that are inherent in our cohabitation with them-qualities that help to facilitate existential security and memory of the past. This important work of archaeological theory challenges us to reconsider our ideas about the nature of things, past and present, demonstrating that objects themselves possess a dynamic presence that we must take into account if we are to understand the world we and they inhabit.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Brothers in Arms? Archaeology and Material Culture Studies Chapter 3. Material Culture as Text: Scenes from a Troubled Engagement Chapter 4. The Phenomenology of Things Chapter 5. Tacit Matter: The Silencing of Things Chapter 6. Temporality and Memory: How Things Remember Chapter 7. Living with Things - Matter in Place Chapter 8. In Defense of Things Chapter 9 Bibliography
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