Week 2 — Humans an ObjectsSOCI/ANTH 441 Material CultureAlexandre EnkerliSeptember 16, 2010

Today

•Dant•Latour•Project•Material Culture

Online Content

•Readings•Moodle site•BuddyPress•Audio recordings•Slides

Dant

Material Culture

•Empirical sociology•Object itself•Concrete•Daily experience

History of MCu (Theory Lipservice)

• (Commodities)• (Barthes/semiotics)• (Valence)• Affordance• (SST)• (SCOT)• ANT• Phenomenology

Humanness

•Intention (some built-in)•Mediation•Embodiment (Merleau-Ponty)•Sensory experience

Partly Human

•Non-human/human•“Assemblage”•“Hybrid”•“Cyborg”•Object-ivity•Co-dependency•Co-evolution•Social being

Dant Notes

• What it means to be human• Object/subject• Intention• Critical perspective• Core object/dominance• -scapes• Agent/actor• Failed tech• Blackbox until needed• Complexity

System

•Function together•More than sum of parts•Synergy•Cybernetics•Diversity of components

Car in Sociology

•Contrast to pedestrianism•Manufacturing•Car as tool

Latour

Nonhuman

• Fighting dualism

• Blur boundaries

• Making social

Social Issues

• Labour

• Discrimination (Winner)

• Class

• Gatekeeping

• Morality

Project Style

• Ingeniosity

• Banality

• Taken for granted

• Nonhuman rights

ANT• Agency

• Identify actors (stakeholders)

• Scenes

• Inscription, delegation...

• Network of relations

• Tech focus

• Tasks/functions

The Sociology and Anthropology of a "Thing"

Three parts

•Description of a Thing (20%, due October 7)▫Maximum 4000 words (about 8 pages)

•Presentation (30%, November 11—December 2)▫Presentation lasting 20 minutes, outline of

maximum 1500 words (about 3 pages)•Final Paper (40%, Due December 10)

▫Maximum 10000 words (about 20 pages)

Thing

•Open Choice▫Needs to be a physical object▫Non-human

•Advice▫Discrete (can point to it)▫Preferably human-made▫Preferably durable, unique

Number of words

•Don’t think in length•Don’t fill up•Approximate maximum•“Lorem Ipsum”•http://www.lipsum.com/

Marks

• IF: Insightful (goal)•OC: Original and Creative•HP: Honest and Personal•TR: Thoughtful and Reflexive (standard)•EX: Appropriate Examples•ED: Elaborate and Detailed•CSF: Concise and Straightforward (decent)

Part I: Description of a “Thing”

•Due October 1•20% of the final grade•Maximum 4000 words (about 8 pages)•Assignment

▫Describe thing▫“Justify”▫Embed in social study▫Plan work

What the “thing” is

•Object type (What kind of an object is it?)•Sensory (What does it look/feel/smell like?)•Construction (What is it made of?)•Function (What does it do? What is it used

for?)•History/genealogy/origin (Where did it

come from?)•Ecology/situatedness (How does it relate to

people and other objects?)•Social Contexts

Significance

•Anthropological/Sociological• Is it important?•Who is it important for? (Individuals,

groups, societies)•What does it mean?

Making sense

•Course material•Approaches•Literature

Plan

•How will you study it?•Resources•Primary sources•Secondary sources•Research methods

Giving You Ideas

•Dant▫New way to think about common object▫Human/non-human▫Extension of self▫Theoretical summary

•Latour▫Thorough▫Playful▫Banal▫Tech

Material Culture

Material

•Materia: matter•Physical object•Physics/chemistry/biology•Spatial dimensions, weight•“Sensible” (can be touched, smelled,

seen…)•Distinct form

Material to Material Culture

•Natural or human-made (trees to tables)•Real or imagined (trees and tables vs.

designs)•Matter turned into things through culture•“Material culture is that segment of man’s

physical environment which is purposely shaped by him according to a culturally dictated plan” (Deetz, James. 1977. In Small Things Forgotten. Anchor Press/Doubleday.)

Culture

•(Dant on)•Human specificity•Transmission of knowledge•Sophistication•Designed vs. natural

Wood

•Substance•Piece of wood•Object made of wood•“Wood in popular culture”•http://xkcd.com/446/

•Things (Generic)•Stuff (Unspecific)•Artefact (Made)•Goods/Commodities/Gifts (Exchange)• Icons (Symbolism)•Heirlooms (Transmission)•Trash/Garbage/Refuse (Useless)

Terms

Distinctions

•Objects (subjects)•Products (processes)•Goods (services)•Commodities (luxury goods)•Belongings (self)•Earthly possessions (essence)

Is It a Thing?

•Money•The subject of a painting•Music•Starship Enterprise•Food•GMO•Virtual Reality•Humans