Material Culture: A Research Guide

Jacket Description/Back: The present collection contains essays by scholars who know the scope and significance of material culture within their respective disciplines of cultural geography, vernacular architecture, the history of technology, the decorative arts, and folklife studies. An overview of this breadth cannot fully cover the expansive domain of the material culture. Marc Notes: Material culture and cultural research / Thomas J. Schlereth -- Learning from looking / Peirce F. Lewis -- The power of things / Dell Upton -- The stuff of everyday life, American decorative arts, household furnishings / Kenneth L. Ames -- The history of technology and the study of material culture / Carroll W. Pursell, Jr. -- Visible proofs / Simon J. Bronner -- Social history scholarship and material culture research / Thomas J. Schlereth -- A guide to general research resources / Thomas J. Schlereth; Includes bibliographies and index. Table of Contents: Preface 1. Material Culture and Cultural Research, "Thomas J. Schlereth" 2. Learning from Looking: Geographic and Other Writing about the American Landscape, "Peirce F. Lewis" 3. The Power of Things: Recent Studies in American Vernacular Architecture, "Dell Upton" 4. The Stuff of Everyday Life: American Decorative Arts and Household Furnishings, "Kenneth L. Ames" 5. The History of Technology and the Study of Material Culture, "Carroll W. Pursell, Jr." 6. Visible Proofs: Material Culture Study in American Folkloristics, "Simon J. Bronner" 7. Social History Scholarship and Material Culture Research, "Thomas J. Schlereth" 8. A Guide to General Research Resources, "Thomas J. Schlereth" Contributors IndexPublisher Marketing: This collection of essays brings together six distinguished scholars to examine the progress, problems, and potential of material culture studies in America. From the perspective of their respective disciplines--cultural geography, vernacular architecture, American studies, the history of technology, the decorative arts, and folklife studies--these widely respected authorities survey the major material culture research of the past two decades and assess the most creative and innovative work-in-progress. Thomas J. Schlereth's introductory chapter provides a critical analysis of material culture evidence, articulating the distinctive quality of such data and focusing on the problematic nature of doing research with objects rather than with written records. The chapters that follow, five of which originally appeared in 1983 in a special issue of American Quarterly, represent a succinct summary of those fields and subfields of material culture scholarship that are at the cutting edge of current research. The volume includes an expanded, up-to-date bibliography that will be of use to a wide range of scholars. Today American material culture studies remains a field where the most innovative work is occurring at the local or regional level. The essays in this volume suggest, however, that such work will be part of the wider evidential base and broader interpretive strategy out of which a new synthesis may develop.

Contributor Bio:  Schlereth, Thomas J Schlereth is professor of American studies at the Universitiy of Notre Dame.