Cultural biography of objects

Kopytoffs argument suggested that things and commodities specifically are subject to change so their meaning cannot only be understood at a single point in time. They move through production, exchange, and consumption processes, all of which change their function, meaning, and relationship with people; Kopytoff parallels this changing history with how the lives of people change.

Kopytoffs original argument has been adapted and modified by numerous authors to explore how both people and objects change. Janet Hoskins ; see alsofor example, has used objects as a way of investigating the biographies of people, arguing that our social being is determined by our relationships with objects. They argue that the meanings of objects change as they move through exchange networks, as they are caught up in social interactions, and that for long-lived objects their biographies shift as they persist through time Gosden and Marshall, Two key early examples from the themed issue of World Archaeology edited by Gosden and Marshall illustrate these different approaches: Nick Saunders discusses the movement of pearls across the Atlantic, and Mark Gillings and Joshua Pollard explore a single stone from the Late Neolithic henge of Avebury in the UK see Figure 5.

For the Amerindians pearls were valuable because of their appearance as a material that glitters and shines, which evoked for them cosmic power Saunders, As pearls were moved across the Atlantic between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, their value became a product of their rarity, exotic origin, flawless appearance, and colour — and over time — their association with fashion and wealth Saunders, This approach emphasizes the ways in which material objects are imbued with social and cultural significance, and how they can reveal insights about human experiences and relationships.

Cultural biography of objects

The study of the physical objects, resources, and spaces that people create and interact with as part of their everyday lives and cultural practices. The record of ownership and location of an object or work of art throughout its history, used to establish its authenticity and significance. Biographical Object: An object that has a unique life story and is seen as a reflection of the individuals or communities associated with it over time.

Object Biography from class: Intro to Anthropology. Definition An object biography is a detailed account of the life history of a particular object, tracing its origins, uses, transformations, and meanings over time. Find Out More. Review Questions. Related Terms. Non-portable stone artefacts and contexts of meaning: the tale of Grey Wether www.

Mark Gillings Joshua Pollard. This argument is demonstrated with an account of the social lives of the stones making up the megalithic settings at Avebury, Wiltshire. The world s of the cross. Oxford: Oxford University Press, A well-selected anthology illustrating vividly the excitement of archaeological discovery and the significant changes in its methods and interpretations.

Gosden, Chris and Marshal, Yvonne. Develops an excellent example of the writing of such a biography. Graves-Brown, Paul et al. London and New York: Routledge, Several essays provide quite accessible discussions of problems of how often politicized interpretations color the interpretation of material culture evidence. Hodder, Ian. The Archaeological Process: An Introduction.

Oxford: Blackwell, A stimulating although not always easy text by one of the advocates of newer interpretive methods in archaeology. The author has done innovative work in Africa, using anthropological observations to help interpret the function of objects of material culture. Pearson, Michael Parker. Interpreting Archaeology: Finding Meaning in the Past, The origins of the objects found in the burial form an important part of the discussion, which, however, reminds us that we may never know enough to provide a single convincing interpretation of such evidence.

Preston, Beth.