Things in Motion: Object Itineraries in Anthropological Practice

by Rosemary A. Joyce (Editor)

Complementing the concept of object biography, the contributors to this volume use the complex construct of “itineraries” to trace the places in which objects come to rest or are active, the routes through which things circulate, and the means by which they are moved. The contributors advocate for a broader engagement with the mobility of things, from the point at which things emerge from source material to the organization of their manufacture and use, their subsequent movements as mediated by economic and ritual exchanges, their deposition in places that become archaeological sites, their emergence through research and subsequent curation in museum collections, and their circulation in the contemporary world, including through reproduction in other media. Ultimately, the contributors explore movement as a fundamental capacity of things and demonstrate the dynamic capacity of things in motion.

“Things in Motion offers a refreshing and provocative perspective that moves scholars beyond a biographical approach to objects and toward a consideration of their dynamic routes and itineraries. Global examples drawn from archaeological and museum contexts illustrate the persuasive power of these new intellectual developments. This volume will prove essential reading for all archaeologists and anthropologists currently engaged in theorizing the material world.”—Lynn Meskell, Department of Anthropology, Director, Stanford Archaeology Center

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2015

About the author

Rosemary Joyce is the Alice Davis Endowed Chair in Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and received her PhD from the University of Illinois-Urbana in 1985