Materiality connects – interdisciplinary prospects in material culture research

Research Article| October 01 1985 Material Culture Research and Historical Explanation Thomas J. Schlereth Thomas J. Schlereth Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The Public Historian (1985) 7 (4): 21–36. https://doi.org/10.2307/3377548 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Thomas J. Schlereth; Material Culture Research and Historical Explanation. The Public Historian 1 October 1985; 7 (4): 21–36. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/3377548 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe Public Historian Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1985 The Regents of the University of California Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Asja uuritakse. Mõttevahetus materiaalse kultuuri uurimise üle Eestis ja Ameerika Ühendriikides / All Things Considered. An interview about the material culture research in Estonia and in the United States of America

KENNETH AMES HAS BEEN A CENTRAL FIGURE IN MATERIAL CULTURE studies of decorative arts for almost two decades. Few have been as influential in advancing the study of American culture and society through the study of household furnishings. Death in the Dining Room is a welcome assemblage of essays that brings together new work and updated, previously published work. Scholars and collectors have explored the dimensions of material culture at least since the 1870s, but it is only in the past few decades that the study has broadened its method and subjects of inquiry to spawn what Thomas Schlereth has called Age of Interpretation. Schlereth sees the decades from roughly the 1876 Centennial to World War II as dominated by the collecting and preserving of artifacts with study focused on highly specific aspects of those artifacts and their makers. The postwar period to the 1960s, he argues, was characterized by a growing professionalism, efforts to unite museum and academy in material culture research, an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, and essentially descriptive research. Since that time, he finds more interpretation and a quest for new methods, new subjects and new syntheses. By the late 1970s, scholars,

The role of 3D modelling in archaeology is increasing exponentially, from fieldwork to architecture to material culture studies. For the study of archaeological objects the roles of digital and print models for public engagement has been much considered in recent literature. For model makers, focus has typically been placed on exceptional and visually striking objects with inherent appeal. In contrast, this paper explores some of the potential roles for 3D digital models for routine artefact research and publication. Particular emphasis is placed on the challenges this technology raises for archaeological theory and practice. Following a consideration of how 3D models relate to established illustration and photographic traditions, the paper evaluates some of the unique features of 3D models, focussing on both positive and negative aspects of these. This is followed by a discussion of the role of potential research connections between digital and craft models in experimental research. Our overall objective is to emphasise a need to engage with the ways in which this gradual development has begun to change aspects of longestablished workflows. In turn, the increasing use of this technology is argued to have wider ramifications for the development of archaeology, and material culture studies in particular, as a discipline that requires reflection.

ABSTRACTThis article borrows from material culture approaches to historical research to investigate the development of swimming baths and bathing culture in Sydney in the late nineteenth century. Specifically, it draws upon a probate inventory of effects and belongings of Ferdinand Von Hammer (1830–1889), a leading Sydney baths lessee and swimming instructor in the 1870s and 1880s. Swimming in this period is under-researched, and the Danish-born proprietor is a forgotten figure. He died at his leased Saywell’s Baths at Rockdale in Botany Bay, and his probate inventory includes objects that were integral to the operation of those facilities. It is a rare document that offers insight into the development of swimming culture in this period, the growing complexity of baths management, and suggests intersections with other social, cultural and economic aspects of swimming. Whereas material culture research more typically involves study of extant objects, this methodology fits with an alternative approach that engages with aggregated lists of items such as probate and other inventories and trade data. By grouping various related objects, this article focuses on lifesaving, swimming instruction and entertainment dimensions to extend knowledge of Australian swimming cultures.

Food practices and their social implications are an important focus of investigation for a wide range of disciplines. In anthropology in particular the cross-cultural importance of meals or of the exchange of food and substances in creating and enduring social bonds gained attention already in Malinowski’s era and has remained a central theme of inquiry ever since. It is now widely acknowledged that food practices play an active role in the negotiation of social identities, relationships and distinctions at different social scales. In archaeology, the economic dimensions of subsistence practices have always held an interest, but food itself was not recognised as a significant analytical or theoretical concept until recently. Since the 2000s, however, there is a growing interest in the cultural and social analysis of food, accompanied by a surge of novel perspectives and methods in palaeo-botanical, zoo-archaeological, palaeo-anthropological and material culture research, including the regions in question here.

This article explores the only surviving example of a mail hauberk with an integrated coif, shedding light on its construction, origin, and historical context. The mail coat was discovered by locals in the 1930s near Berane, Montenegro. Its precise find location and its archaeological context are uncertain. Prior to investigation, it was hypothesised that it may represent a European hauberk from the 11th-13th century. Examination of the coat, notably its design and adherence to the decimal system, suggest a non-European origin, likely Ottoman, dating back to the second half of the fifteenth century. The skewed placement of the coif and the potential application of the Parthian shot manoeuvre highlight functional considerations in its design. This study introduces a novel perspective on the connection between numeral systems and mail garment construction, offering insights for broader applications in material culture research.

The World of archaeology is vast, spanning thousands of years and involving the study of human societies through material remains. Archaeology, in essence, is a dynamic, evolving field that seeks to uncover and understand the rich and varied histories of human societies across the globe. Archaeology has evolved significantly over the centuries, with early excavations being driven by curiosity, the desire for treasure, and religious motivations. Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece were key in preserving their past through monumental tombs, temples, and hieroglyphs, which are now studied as part of archaeological research. The discovery of ancient cities like Ur (important Sumerian city-state in ancient Mesopotamia) and Babylon in later centuries sparked interest in their long-forgotten past. Archaeology is the study of human history and prehistory, offers insights into the evolution of civilizations, cultures, and societies. Its history can be traced back to the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, with early focus on antiquarian interests. The formalization of archaeology as a scientific discipline emerged in the 19th century, driven by figures like Heinrich Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans. Indian archaeology has a rich history, beginning with ancient civilizations in the Indus Valley. India's complicated ancient history was made clear by the discoveries of the Harappan civilization in the early 20th century, while colonial interests had an impact on early archaeological efforts. Modern technologies that allow for more accurate dating, excavation, and material culture research, like as remote sensing, carbon dating, and GIS (Geographic Information System, computer system that saves, analyzes, and displays geographic data), have revolutionized both global and Indian archaeology. The purpose of this research study is to take readers on a historical journey to explore how we learn about our past by tracking both Indian and global archaeological history.

Using data from qualitative research on vernacular housing, this paper discusses the role of photography in the heritage restoration of an outport community in Newfoundland. An assessment of the instrumental role usually played by photography in ethnographic and material culture research is made in light of the vernacular uses of photography. The socially coded and symbolic character of this built environment signals distinct taste and class cultures which are performed in narrative and material media. Photography contributes to the local performance of the past and the sign value of the built environment: it legitimates the invention of heritage and at the same time offers a means for local residents to contest dominant codings of their houses. In developing this case study, the role of photography will be considered from a variety of perspectives: as a research tool for the ethnography of communication; as a resource that offers access to categories of local knowledge; as a communicational practice that provides a corpus of texts for oppositional readings; and as a problematic representational form which raises questions about the medium in relation to research.

There are three components: 1 . Archaeological survey of the Lake Eyre Basin as part of ARGS funded research project. 2. Archaeological excavations and taphonomic studies, in conjunction with staff and students from the University of Sydney, at the Hawker Lagoon site, South Australia, also funded mainly by ARGS. 3. Material culture research and artefact acquisition, among Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley and Western Desert regions, funded entirely by the Australian Museum.

American Dirne novels (1860–1915) are very much worth a second look for aesthetic as well as material culture research, and recent efforts at digitization and reprinting of Dirne novel texts and paratextual materials provide opportunities for important new scholarship. Dirne Novels and the Roots of American Detective Fiction argues that an evolution theory of genre that connects each development in detective fiction to a specific time and place is inadequate in explaining the ongoing appeal of the genre because it emphasizes the idea that popular fiction represents precise socio cultural anxieties. After all, many of the detective formulas typically associated with the twentieth century — most surprisingly even formal self-ref lexivity and detectives of diversity — appear in quite developed form within the mass of detective Dirne novels so popular in the 1880s and 1890s. This provides substantial support for Stephen Knight’s contention that the relationship between canonical and popular writers needs to be reexamined, since it is quite possible that rather than being imitators, popular writers are in fact working out the successful conventions that will be adopted by canonical writers.

The contents, context, and date of Problematical Deposit 50 bear on the origin, function, and meaning of Teotihuacan stylistic traits in the Southern Maya Lowlands. Archaeological data and material culture research appear to support emulation and adaptation by local rulers and elites, while an actual presence of Teotihuacanos is asserted by epigraphy and iconography. PD 50, the partial contents of a probable Early Classic chamber burial, appears to support local emulation, but an extraordinary pottery vessel, nicknamed here the “Arrival Bowl,” implies direct contact. The chronology and archaeological context demonstrate that the appearance of Teotihuacan stylistic traits at Tikal during the later Early Classic period is functionally distinct from the goods distributed over an interregional interaction sphere of much longer duration in which both Central Mexico and the Maya area participated. Furthermore, together with other features at Tikal, PD 50 suggests that adoption of Teotihuacan ideology by Tikal's elite was eventually met with resistance that contributed to the violence at the end of the Early Classic period that is manifested in the archaeological record.

The pedagogical frameworks outlined in this paper are based in student learning at the intersection of academic knowledge acquisition and research, with discipline expert teaching. They centre on the cultivation of liminal spaces in which a student finds multiple entry points to a topic/s and multiple ways of generating outcomes. The examples provided demonstrate how thinking through creative practice and material culture research can cultivate the higher order critical and flexible thinking skills students require to engage with creative practice and collaborations which ‘support human life and learning’ (Tudor, Creativity: a higher order capability. Doctoral dissertation, University of Technology, Sydney, 2005). Experimentation is championed, and the learner engages with the senses though the sensual body; research, creative and innovative ideas-generation; place, identity and time. Thinking elastically through the capacity to ‘re-imagine’ established discourse is pivotal, to challenge existing prejudices, test and create new theories, challenge norms and embrace the ‘new’ to establish contemporary dialogues and narratives. The paper examines workshops that re-imagine historical memory, translate research through arts-based practices, innovate using tangible and ephemeral stimuli, develop collaborative entrepreneurial relationships and promote ‘doing’ by ‘becoming’ through the senses, in a unique community of creative practice (Dewey, Art as experience. Capricorn Books, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1934).

A rare petticoat quilt held in the collection at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln's International Quilt Study Center and Museum provides a wealth of material information about American quilted petticoats and the documentation of American social history. Through an object-based analysis of this artifact, this research paints a picture of one particular family's history extending from the late colonial period through the early 20th century, and demonstrates important material and social findings made possible through material culture research.

Within Design Science, Design Culture is a branch focused on regional development through design principles and participatory tools designed to intrinsically understand endogenous potentials. Designing living is a goal/output based on recognizing regional “color” and facilitating the community for economic sustainability, social acceptability, and environmental soundness. Anthropological/ethnographic study embodied in material culture research is applied practically in learning about life in the field to incite curiosity and learning reflexes. In experiencing communal living, student-participants Observe-Collect-Map valuable tangible/intangible potentials (treasures), and analyses for presentations, ideate visions and co-design with local community as one of stakeholders. As an example, UNS-FSRD Design Culture Laboratory collaborates with UNS-Agriculture Faculty and GAPOKTAN Sedyo Makmur to redevelop Rojolele Delanggu Rice and community-based plantations in Sabrang Village, Delanggu.