Absztrakt

Sidestepping the investigation of revolutions and the dynamics of productive forces, the growing appreciation of material culture is better understood through recognizing the inextricable connection of everyday life to the objects that surround it. According to this perspective, our lives unfold not just among objects, but through them, to the point that the functioning of society is unimaginable without them. In daily life, objects and people intertwine in chains of action making the material world—fashioned by human goals and intentions—an indispensable element of both individual and social functioning. Applying scientific categories, dichotomies such as nature versus society or animate versus inanimate impose an artificial division on areas that are inseparable in the processes of life. Thus, after the Material Turn, the objects around us have emerged from their passive role. They are no longer seen merely as ornamental or passive bystanders to actions, the outcomes of which – admittedly, usually through human use they help shape. Viewed in this way, our objects are understood more as “external agents” of human thought than as inanimate entities. For historiography, this principle means that objects are no longer considered merely as exhibits that support arguments to bolster hypotheses or enhance historical accuracy. Instead, they are independent – even central – subjects of analysis.