Enduring relations: Exploring a paradox of new materialism

In this article, the authors examine tensions between understandings of material things as either bundles of relations or as things-in-themselves. Rather than take either of these positions, they instead set out an argument for approaches that allow them to modulate between these understandings whil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of material culture 2015-06, Vol.20 (2), p.127-148
Main Authors: Fowler, Chris, Harris, Oliver JT
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Commodification
Material culture
Materialism
Neolithic Age
Time
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Summary:In this article, the authors examine tensions between understandings of material things as either bundles of relations or as things-in-themselves. Rather than take either of these positions, they instead set out an argument for approaches that allow them to modulate between these understandings whilst treating both as relational. Taking such a position allows them to consider how things endure through time without returning to any notion of essence. They explore the theoretical arguments through an analysis of one particular enduring material phenomenon: the Neolithic chambered tomb of West Kennet.
ISSN:1359-1835
1460-3586
DOI:10.1177/1359183515577176