Description
The contributors deconstruct the traditional opposition between "gift" and "commodity" and between supposedly; "alienable" and "inalienable" objects in ceremonies of exchange-whether on the island of Sumba or among middle-class shoppers in North London. They show how objects can become symbols of national identity, in cases ranging from artworks in Australia to lost body parts of past Mexican presidents. They reveal how the movement of objects through different contexts, across borders, or through art exhibitions exposes contradictions and shifting meanings for different constituencies.
About the Author
Fred R. Meyers is a social anthropologist who has conducted much of his research among the Aboriginal people of Australia. He is the chair of the anthropology department at New York University.
Book Information
ISBN 9781930618060
Author Fred R. Myers
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint School of American Research Press,U.S.
Publisher SAR Press