Commentary: Mute Passive Objects?

Author: Johnson M.

Source: International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Volume 03, Number 2, June 1999 , pp. 123-129(7)

Publisher: Springer

Abstract:

This commentary looks at two related themes. Is “resistance” simply a matter of inertia or of reaction to new forces, and are resisting people purely passive or do they actively make their own history? Second, are the meanings of material culture passively assigned or are they more complex? In short, are both people and things “mute passive objects”? It is suggested that our theoretical treatment of people and of things are linked, and that further critical analysis of that linkage is needed.

Keywords: agency; domination; resistance; material culture

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Archaeology, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, England

Publication date: 1999-06-01

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