Chapter 1: Making Sense of Material
Culture Edited
What is material
culture?
"A collective name for all the behavior
patterns socially acquired and
transmitted by mean of symbols...also
material instruments or artifacts in
which cultural achievements are
embodied" (17).
Material culture allows
us to better understand
societies and cultures if
we are able to "read"
how the objects were
produced and used.
Culture
Recurrent patterns of social
behavior connected to
artefacts, beliefs, customs,
traditions, and values.
"the objects tell you
about the culture,
and the culture tells
you about the
objects" (22).
"needs"
"it is our needs that
interpret the world; our
drives For or Against" (26).
Analyzing Material Culture
Semiotic Analysis
using clues given by
objects, artifacts, facial
expression, body
language, etc. to draw
conclusions about
activities and
identities
Sherlock
Holmes
The Blue Carbuncle
"hat example" Watson vs.
Sherlock
knowledge
attentive to
details
makes inferences
deductive reasoning
applied semiotic analysis
Perspectivism
Nietzsche
multi-disciplinary approach to
knowledge
What do we do when experts
disagree?
needs
interpretation
The Rashomon
Problem
Theories
"Theories are like goggles
that help determine the way
we see the world, that point
our attention to certain
things, and distract us from
others."
all theories are
partial and
have limitations
"a theory is a way of seeing, an optic,
that focuses on a specific subject
matter" (23).