Material culture

Pottery is an easily recognised form of material culture as it is commonly found as archaeological artifacts, representing cultures of the past

Material culture is the aspect of culture manifested by the physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history.[1] The field considers artifacts in relation to their specific cultural and historic contexts, communities and belief systems. It includes the usage, consumption, creation and trade of objects as well as the behaviors, norms and rituals that the objects create or take part in.

Material culture is contrasted with symbolic culture or non-material culture, which include non-material symbols, beliefs and social constructs. However, some scholars include in material culture other intangible phenomena like sound, smell and events,[2] while some even consider it to include language and media.[3][4] Material culture can be described as any object that humans use to survive, define social relationships, represent facets of identity, or benefit peoples' state of mind, social, or economic standing.[5]

The scholarly analysis of material culture, which can include both human made and natural or altered objects, is called material culture studies.[6] It is an interdisciplinary field and methodology that tells of the relationships between people and their things: the making, history, preservation and interpretation of objects.[7] It draws on both theory and practice from the social sciences and humanities such as art history, archaeology, anthropology, history, historic preservation, folklore, archival science, literary criticism and museum studies.

  1. ^ Tilley, Christopher; Keane, Webb; Küchler, Susanne; Spyer, Patricia; Rowlands, Michael (2006). "Introduction". In Tilley, Christopher; Keane, Webb; Spyer, Patricia (eds.). Handbook of Material Culture. London: Sage publ. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4129-0039-3.
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