The Social Life of Materials - Couverture souple

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1472592646 ISBN 13 : 9781472592644

Editeur : Bloomsbury Academic, 2015

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Materials play a central role in society. Beyond the physical and chemical properties of materials, their cultural properties have often been overlooked in anthropological studies: finished products have been perceived as 'social yet the materials which comprise them are considered 'raw or natural . The Social Life of Materials proposes a new perspective in this interdisciplinary field. Diverting attention from the consumption of objects, the book looks towards the properties of materials and how these exist through many transformations in a variety of cultural contexts.

Human societies have always worked with materials. However, the customs and traditions surrounding this differ according to the place, the time and the material itself. Whether or not the material is man-made, materials are defined by social intervention. Today, these constitute one of the most exciting areas of global scientific research and innovation, harboring the potential to act as key vehicles of change in the world. But this 'materials revolution has complex social implications. Smart materials are designed to anticipate our actions and needs, yet we are increasingly unable to apprehend the composite materials which comprise new products.

Bringing together ethnographic studies of cultures from around the world, this collection explores the significance of materials by moving beyond questions of what may be created from them. Instead, the text argues that the materials themselves represent a shifting ground around which relationships, identities and powers are constantly formed and dissolved in the act of making and remaking.

Revue de presse :

Materials matter. The Social Life of Materials provides an accessible and fascinating collection of case studies exploring the meanings and properties of materials, and their relations to the things made with them and how we use them. By considering both substantial attributes and cultural meanings, an unusually rich sense of materiality is developed. -- Frederic Wright Gleach, Cornell University, USA Drazin and Kuchler have assembled an innovative collection which consolidates and extends work in this new "science of the concrete". Collectively, the authors succeed in showing the value of looking beyond objects and things to the materials which constitute them. The theoretical and empirical work presented here establishes a rich and authoritative range of intellectual innovations and approaches. It will interest researchers across the social sciences, arts and design studies, and the humanities. -- Ian Woodward, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark During a moment in which "materiality" is casually invoked across the humanities and social sciences, this vibrant volume demands that we take seriously both the specific properties of materials themselves and the social relationships activated through their technical use and circulation. It thereby firmly stakes a place for anthropology and ethnographic methods in the so-called "material turn." --Aaron Glass, Bard Graduate Center, USA

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Bloomsbury Academic
• Date d'édition: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1472592646
• ISBN 13: 9781472592644
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 334