Week 5: Representation

SOCI/ANTH 441 Material CultureAlexandre EnkerliOctober 1, 2008

Digging for Texts and Ideas

• http://www.zotero.org/• http://Scholar.google.com• Web of Science– http://isiknowledge.com/wos

• RefWorks– http://

library.concordia.ca/help/howto/refworks.php

• Project Forum

Archaeology

• Diachrony• Phases• Material analysis• Artifacts• Systematic analysis• Anecdotal evidence• Primacy of context

Material Culture Themes So Far

• Identity Construction• Public/Private• Space• Gender• Connection– Subject/Object

• Group• Researcher

• Time– History– Genealogy– Biography

• Power• Status• Personalization• Trends• Transformation

Authors

• Foucault• Baudrillard• Bachelard• Freud• Tilley• Dant

Technological Politics

• Do things have politics? (Langdon Winner)– Bridge against busses– Racism of bridge

• Social determinism (“Guns don’t kill people”)• Technological determinism (“Guns make

people kill people”)

Politics and Objects

• Embodiment (engineer social relationships)• Inherent politics (required relationships)• Imbued (after the fact)

Barbie Links• http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res

=9C04E5DB1F3EF93AA15757C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all• http://collectdolls.about.com/od/barbievintage/ig/Vintage-Barbie-Dolls-Photos/Su

burban-Shopper.htm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie• http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CLASS/AM483_95/projects/barbie/barb2.html• http://www.nsea.org/news/BuettenbackJohnson.htm• http://www.epcc.edu/nwlibrary/earlier_border/14_barbie_doll.htm• http://www.dolls4play.com/barbiehistory.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Handler• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild_Lilli_doll• http://www.flickr.com/photos/24111263@N02/2811039636/in/photostream/• http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1997/11/26harlot.html• http://home.alltel.net/pennlee/bildlilli.html• http://www.associatedcontent.com/pop_print.shtml?

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