Anxious suitcases and their contents

The war in Ukraine has uprooted millions of people, forcing them to confront their habitual material environment of home and everyday life in new and unexpected ways. This is particularly the case when they evacuate and must decide what to take with them and what to leave behind. This photo‐essay co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American ethnologist 2023-02, Vol.50 (1), p.54-64
Main Author: Sopova, Alisa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
affect
materiality
photography
refugees
things
Ukraine
war
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The war in Ukraine has uprooted millions of people, forcing them to confront their habitual material environment of home and everyday life in new and unexpected ways. This is particularly the case when they evacuate and must decide what to take with them and what to leave behind. This photo‐essay comprises a selection of objects that, at the moment of crisis, have stepped in to embody important aspects of their owners’ lives. As their owners reflect on them, these objects raise important questions about the affective qualities of materiality. They suggest how in wartime, large‐scale loss and destruction lay bare otherwise taken‐for‐granted affective entanglements between the human and the nonhuman.
ISSN:0094-0496
1548-1425
DOI:10.1111/amet.13123