Wrapping and Unwrapping Material Culture: Archaeological and Anthropological Perspectives

Wrapping and Unwrapping Material Culture: Archaeological and Anthropological Perspectives
ISBN-10
1315415631
ISBN-13
9781315415635
Category
Social Science
Pages
245
Language
English
Published
2016-06-16
Publisher
Routledge
Authors
Susanna Harris, Laurence Douny

Description

This innovative volume challenges contemporary views on material culture by exploring the relationship between wrapping materials and practices and the objects, bodies, and places that define them. Using examples as diverse as baby swaddling, Egyptian mummies, Celtic tombs, lace underwear, textile clothing, and contemporary African silk, the dozen archaeologist and anthropologist contributors show how acts of wrapping and unwrapping are embedded in beliefs and thoughts of a particular time and place. Employing methods of artifact analysis, microscopy, and participant observation, the contributors provide a new lens on material culture and its relationship to cultural meaning.

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