I am referring to The comfort of things by Daniel Miller, Polity Press, UK, 2008
It is an anthropological study of 30 people staying on one London street. Its purpose is to explain how people express themselves through their possessions, and what these tell us about their lives. The study thus explores the role of objects in our relationships.
In regular anthropology style, details of routines of the inhabitants are presented. Each is a coherent narrative prepared by the authors. There is a divorced mother who offers McDonald meals to her children as a special treat, a female wrestler who keeps moving furniture around in her house to de-clutter her mind, a pair of grandparents who prepare Christmas presents for their children and grandchildren and other relatives and so on.
The study ends with comments on things and the meaning of modernity.
I did not understand the conclusion. However, the very idea of such a study and the life stories presented here held me spell-bound.
It is an anthropological study of 30 people staying on one London street. Its purpose is to explain how people express themselves through their possessions, and what these tell us about their lives. The study thus explores the role of objects in our relationships.
In regular anthropology style, details of routines of the inhabitants are presented. Each is a coherent narrative prepared by the authors. There is a divorced mother who offers McDonald meals to her children as a special treat, a female wrestler who keeps moving furniture around in her house to de-clutter her mind, a pair of grandparents who prepare Christmas presents for their children and grandchildren and other relatives and so on.
The study ends with comments on things and the meaning of modernity.
I did not understand the conclusion. However, the very idea of such a study and the life stories presented here held me spell-bound.
