Objects Possessed, Drawn, Touched, Identified, and Sold: Effective Material Culture Exercises for the Anthropology Classroom

Abstract

Teaching the anthropology of material culture to non-majors at an arts college requires a flexible pedagogy and a creative approach. In this article, I discuss some of the specific challenges of effectively engaging arts majors who often arrive at the classroom interested only in fulfilling their general education requirements. I identify five approaches to the anthropological study of objects (object as personal identity, object as “thing in the world,” object as skilled manufacture, object as cultural artifact, and object as commodity) followed by descriptions of course projects that are adaptable to many undergraduate teaching situations. In discussing the projects, I describe how to get the most out of each exercise, with notes on how to avoid common problems. The article's aim is to encourage educators to develop and embrace innovative object-centered approaches when teaching non-majors. [material culture, objects, pedagogy, praxis-based projects]