Writing Material Culture History

Writing Material Culture History examines the methodologies currently used in the historical study of material culture. Touching on archaeology, art history, literary studies and anthropology, the book provides history students with a fundamental understanding of the relationship between artefacts and historical narratives. The role of museums, the impact of the digital age and the representations of objects in public history are just some of the issues addressed in a book that brings together key scholars from around the world.

A range of artefacts, including a 16th-century Peruvian crown and a 19th-century Alaskan Sea Lion overcoat, are considered, illustrating the myriad ways in which objects and history relate to one another. Bringing together scholars working in a variety of disciplines, this book provides a critical introduction for students interested in material culture, history and historical methodologies.

Anne Gerritsen is Reader in Chinese History at the University of Warwick, UK.

Giorgio Riello is Professor of Global History and Culture at the University of Warwick, UK.

Introduction: Writing Material Culture History - Anne Gerritsen and Giorgio Riello (both University of Warwick, UK)
Part I - Approaches: Multidisciplinary Perspectives to Material Culture
1. Archaeology and the Material Past of Material Culture - David Gaimster (Huntarian Museum, UK)
2. Hybrid Objects: A Peruvian Crown - Dana Leibsohn (Smith College, USA)
3. Written Texts and the Performance of Materiality - Catherine Richardson (University of Kent, UK)
4. Broken Objects - Suzanne F. Hood (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, USA)
5. The Handmaid's Tale: History, Anthropology and Material Culture - Kaori O'Connor (UCL, UK)
6. The Object of History: The Design Register of the UK Board of Trade, 1839-1991 - Dinah Eastop (The National Archives, UK)
7. Im-material Culture and History of Art - Viccy Coltman (University of Edinburgh, UK)
8. Portraits and Self-fashioning. The Social Uses of Material Tracks in the Nineteenth Century - Manuel Charpy (Université de Lille, France)
Part II - Interpretation: The Place of Material Culture in Historical Research
9. Dark Storerooms, Dusty Dioramas: On the Place of Material Culture in the Museum - Ethan Lasser (Harvard Art Museums, USA)
10. The Birth of a Museum - Paula Findlen (Stanford University, USA)
11. Restoration, Preservation and Intervention: A Cupboard Made in 1773 - Carolyn Sargentson (V&A Museum, UK)
12. Twentieth-First Century Connoisseurship: Reading Objects in the Digital Age - Glenn Adamson (V&A Museum, UK)
13. European History 1600-1800 in 1000 Objects - Lesley Miller (V&A Museum, UK)
14. Antiques, Heirlooms and Evidence: Material Culture's Life in the Public Spotlight - Katherine Kelly (University of Texas, USA)
15. Father Amiot's Cup and the Fashioning of 'Antiquity' - Kee Il Choi (Art Dealer, New York, USA)
Part III - Concepts: Material Culture and Historical Narrative
16. Materialism and Material History - Ulrich Lehmann (University of the Creative Arts)
17. A Frayed Jacket with One Remaining Button: Time, Wear and Maintenance - Victoria Kelley (Central St. Martins College of Art and Design, UK)
18. Heritage, Memorialization and Identity Dialogues on the National Stage of Indonesia - Kathleen M. Adams (Loyola University, USA)
19. Invisible Beds - Sandra Cavallo (Royal Holloway, University of London, UK)
20. Spaces of Global Interactions: The Material Landscapes of Global History - Anne Gerritsen and Giorgio Riello (both University of Warwick, UK)
21. Objects of Empire: Museums, Material Culture and Histories of Empire - John McAleer (University of Southampton, UK)
22. Pacific Cosmopolitanism: An Alaskan Sea Lion Overcoat and Hooded Shirt - Christina Hellmich (de Young Museum, UK)
23. Colour and Space - Regina Lee Blaszczyk (University of Leeds, UK)
24. People: How Objects Changed People's Lives - Richard Sennett (New York University, USA)
25. Objects and Emotions: The Foundling's Tokens - John Styles (University of Hertfordshire, UK)
26. The Sound of Things - Flora Dennis (University of Sussex, UK)
27. Before the Light Bulb: A Material Culture of Luminosity and Reflection - Ann Smart Martin (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
Conclusion - Anne Gerritsen and Giorgio Riello (both University of Warwick, UK)
Online Resources
Bibliography
Index