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In Defense of Things: Archaeology and the Ontology of Objects
In Defense of Things: Archaeology and the Ontology of Objects
Bjornar Olsen
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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.
Categories:
Year:
2010
Publisher:
AltaMira Press
Language:
English
Pages:
208
ISBN 10:
0759119309
ISBN 13:
9780759119307
ISBN:
0759119309,9780759119307
Series:
Archaeology in Society
Your tags:
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