soci441mtg2
TRANSCRIPT
Week 2 — Humans an ObjectsSOCI/ANTH 441 Material CultureAlexandre EnkerliSeptember 16, 2010
Today
•Dant•Latour•Project•Material Culture
Online Content
•Readings•Moodle site•BuddyPress•Audio recordings•Slides
Dant
Material Culture
•Empirical sociology•Object itself•Concrete•Daily experience
History of MCu (Theory Lipservice)
• (Commodities)• (Barthes/semiotics)• (Valence)• Affordance• (SST)• (SCOT)• ANT• Phenomenology
Humanness
•Intention (some built-in)•Mediation•Embodiment (Merleau-Ponty)•Sensory experience
Partly Human
•Non-human/human•“Assemblage”•“Hybrid”•“Cyborg”•Object-ivity•Co-dependency•Co-evolution•Social being
Dant Notes
• What it means to be human• Object/subject• Intention• Critical perspective• Core object/dominance• -scapes• Agent/actor• Failed tech• Blackbox until needed• Complexity
System
•Function together•More than sum of parts•Synergy•Cybernetics•Diversity of components
Car in Sociology
•Contrast to pedestrianism•Manufacturing•Car as tool
Latour
Nonhuman
• Fighting dualism
• Blur boundaries
• Making social
Social Issues
• Labour
• Discrimination (Winner)
• Class
• Gatekeeping
• Morality
Project Style
• Ingeniosity
• Banality
• Taken for granted
• Nonhuman rights
ANT• Agency
• Identify actors (stakeholders)
• Scenes
• Inscription, delegation...
• Network of relations
• Tech focus
• Tasks/functions
The Sociology and Anthropology of a "Thing"
Three parts
•Description of a Thing (20%, due October 7)▫Maximum 4000 words (about 8 pages)
•Presentation (30%, November 11—December 2)▫Presentation lasting 20 minutes, outline of
maximum 1500 words (about 3 pages)•Final Paper (40%, Due December 10)
▫Maximum 10000 words (about 20 pages)
Thing
•Open Choice▫Needs to be a physical object▫Non-human
•Advice▫Discrete (can point to it)▫Preferably human-made▫Preferably durable, unique
Number of words
•Don’t think in length•Don’t fill up•Approximate maximum•“Lorem Ipsum”•http://www.lipsum.com/
Marks
• IF: Insightful (goal)•OC: Original and Creative•HP: Honest and Personal•TR: Thoughtful and Reflexive (standard)•EX: Appropriate Examples•ED: Elaborate and Detailed•CSF: Concise and Straightforward (decent)
Part I: Description of a “Thing”
•Due October 1•20% of the final grade•Maximum 4000 words (about 8 pages)•Assignment
▫Describe thing▫“Justify”▫Embed in social study▫Plan work
What the “thing” is
•Object type (What kind of an object is it?)•Sensory (What does it look/feel/smell like?)•Construction (What is it made of?)•Function (What does it do? What is it used
for?)•History/genealogy/origin (Where did it
come from?)•Ecology/situatedness (How does it relate to
people and other objects?)•Social Contexts
Significance
•Anthropological/Sociological• Is it important?•Who is it important for? (Individuals,
groups, societies)•What does it mean?
Making sense
•Course material•Approaches•Literature
Plan
•How will you study it?•Resources•Primary sources•Secondary sources•Research methods
Giving You Ideas
•Dant▫New way to think about common object▫Human/non-human▫Extension of self▫Theoretical summary
•Latour▫Thorough▫Playful▫Banal▫Tech
Material Culture
Material
•Materia: matter•Physical object•Physics/chemistry/biology•Spatial dimensions, weight•“Sensible” (can be touched, smelled,
seen…)•Distinct form
Material to Material Culture
•Natural or human-made (trees to tables)•Real or imagined (trees and tables vs.
designs)•Matter turned into things through culture•“Material culture is that segment of man’s
physical environment which is purposely shaped by him according to a culturally dictated plan” (Deetz, James. 1977. In Small Things Forgotten. Anchor Press/Doubleday.)
Culture
•(Dant on)•Human specificity•Transmission of knowledge•Sophistication•Designed vs. natural
Wood
•Substance•Piece of wood•Object made of wood•“Wood in popular culture”•http://xkcd.com/446/
•Things (Generic)•Stuff (Unspecific)•Artefact (Made)•Goods/Commodities/Gifts (Exchange)• Icons (Symbolism)•Heirlooms (Transmission)•Trash/Garbage/Refuse (Useless)
Terms
Distinctions
•Objects (subjects)•Products (processes)•Goods (services)•Commodities (luxury goods)•Belongings (self)•Earthly possessions (essence)
Is It a Thing?
•Money•The subject of a painting•Music•Starship Enterprise•Food•GMO•Virtual Reality•Humans