Writing Material Culture History - (Writing History) 2nd Edition by Anne Gerritsen & Giorgio Riello (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This new edition of Writing Material Culture History examines the methodologies currently used in the historical study of material culture. Touching on archaeology, anthropology, art history and literary studies, the book provides history students with a fundamental understanding of the relationship between artefacts and historical narratives. The role of museums, the impact of the digital age and the representations of objects in public history are just some of the issues addressed in a book that brings together distinguished scholars from around the world"--

Book Synopsis

Writing Material Culture Historyexamines the methodologies currently used in the historical study of material culture. Touching on archaeology, anthropology, art history and literary studies, the book provides history students with a fundamental understanding of the relationship between artefacts and historical narratives. The role of museums, the impact of the digital age and the representations of objects in public history are just some of the issues addressed in a book that brings together distinguished scholars from around the world.

This new edition includes:

* A new wide-ranging introduction highlighting the role of material culture in the modern period and presenting recent contributions to the field.
* A more balanced and easy-to-use structure, including 9 methodological chapters and 20 'object in focus' chapters consisting of case studies for classroom discussion.
* 5 fresh 'object in focus' chapters showing greater engagement with 20th-century material culture, non-European artefacts (particularly in relation to issues of power, indigenity and repatriation of objects), architecture (with pieces on industrial heritage in Europe and on heritage destruction in China) and the definitions and limits of material culture as a discipline.
* Expanded online resources to help students navigate the museums/institutions holding key artefacts.
* Historiographical updates and revisions throughout the text.

Focusing on the global dimension of material culture and bridging the gap between the early modern and modern periods, Writing Material Culture History is an essential tool for helping students understand the potential of objects to re-cast established historical narratives in new and exciting ways.

Review Quotes

Gerritsen and Riello offer us a rich and eclectic collection of essays devoted to the multiple methodologies associated with the study of material artifacts, as well as fascinating and instructive case studies of particular objects, all well-suited for undergraduate teaching and the training of future researchers. That this book should merit a second, and expanded, edition in so short a period (a scant five years) is testament to the vitality of the field of material culture studies. Noteworthy areas of new attention include the political study of objects, the material history of urban space, and the application of new technologies (3-D printing or big data for example) to the study of material culture. If historians have indeed "experienced a Damascene conversion to material culture" as Gerritsen and Riello argue, then surely they should be credited in large measure for bringing it intellectual coherence and a global reach. This book, now expanded, will be essential reading for those who join them.
Anne EC McCants, Professor of History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

The volume is an impressive collection of different views on material culture, written from anthropological, historical, and art historical perspectives. It should be an essential text in the appreciation of artefacts, and the role they play in the interactions of cultures over time and space.
Ruth Barnes, Thomas Jaffe Curator of Indo-Pacific Art, Yale University Art Gallery, USA

About the Author

Anne Gerritsen is Professor of History at the University of Warwick, UK.
Giorgio Riello is Professor of Global History and Culture at the European University Institute and University of Warwick, UK.