Structure and Meaning in Human Settlements

Today, it is widely accepted that the built environment materializes social relations, shapes conceptions of place and social memory, inculcates cultural values, and expresses a diverse array of meanings, ranging from the ecological and psychological to the aesthetic and ideological. Rykwert and Atk...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American anthropologist 2007, Vol.109 (1), p.202-204
Main Author: Swenson, Edward
Format: Review
Language:English
Subjects:
Architects
Architecture
Built environment
Case studies
Collective memory
Consumerism
Cultural differences
Cultural studies
Cultural values
Design
Foucault, Michel
Human settlements
Ideology
Interpersonal relations
Lefebvre, Henri (1901-1991)
Meaning
Memory
Morgan, Lewis Henry
Social values
Structural analysis
Technology
Urban planning
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Summary:Today, it is widely accepted that the built environment materializes social relations, shapes conceptions of place and social memory, inculcates cultural values, and expresses a diverse array of meanings, ranging from the ecological and psychological to the aesthetic and ideological. Rykwert and Atkin pose the question of whether "meaningful structures continue to exist in human settlements after they are transformed by international consumer culture and place-defying technology like that of the present day," and they assert that archaeologists have much to offer architects through their privileged understanding of the "social intentions" and "cultural meanings" embodied in past settlements (pp. 10-11).
ISSN:0002-7294
1548-1433
DOI:10.1525/aa.2007.109.1.202.2