Tangible Things

Making History through Objects

Nonfiction, History, Civilization
Cover of the book Tangible Things by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter ISBN: 9780199382309
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: February 6, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
ISBN: 9780199382309
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: February 6, 2015
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In a world obsessed with the virtual, tangible things are once again making history. Tangible Things invites readers to look closely at the things around them, ordinary things like the food on their plate and extraordinary things like the transit of planets across the sky. It argues that almost any material thing, when examined closely, can be a link between present and past. The authors of this book pulled an astonishing array of materials out of storage--from a pencil manufactured by Henry David Thoreau to a bracelet made from iridescent beetles--in a wide range of Harvard University collections to mount an innovative exhibition alongside a new general education course. The exhibition challenged the rigid distinctions between history, anthropology, science, and the arts. It showed that object-centered inquiry inevitably leads to a questioning of categories within and beyond history. Tangible Things is both an introduction to the range and scope of Harvard's remarkable collections and an invitation to reassess collections of all sorts, including those that reside in the bottom drawers or attics of people's houses. It interrogates the nineteenth-century categories that still divide art museums from science museums and historical collections from anthropological displays and that assume history is made only from written documents. Although it builds on a larger discussion among specialists, it makes its arguments through case studies, hoping to simultaneously entertain and inspire. The twenty case studies take us from the Galapagos Islands to India and from a third-century Egyptian papyrus fragment to a board game based on the twentieth-century comic strip "Dagwood and Blondie." A companion website catalogs the more than two hundred objects in the original exhibition and suggests ways in which the principles outlined in the book might change the way people understand the tangible things that surround them.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In a world obsessed with the virtual, tangible things are once again making history. Tangible Things invites readers to look closely at the things around them, ordinary things like the food on their plate and extraordinary things like the transit of planets across the sky. It argues that almost any material thing, when examined closely, can be a link between present and past. The authors of this book pulled an astonishing array of materials out of storage--from a pencil manufactured by Henry David Thoreau to a bracelet made from iridescent beetles--in a wide range of Harvard University collections to mount an innovative exhibition alongside a new general education course. The exhibition challenged the rigid distinctions between history, anthropology, science, and the arts. It showed that object-centered inquiry inevitably leads to a questioning of categories within and beyond history. Tangible Things is both an introduction to the range and scope of Harvard's remarkable collections and an invitation to reassess collections of all sorts, including those that reside in the bottom drawers or attics of people's houses. It interrogates the nineteenth-century categories that still divide art museums from science museums and historical collections from anthropological displays and that assume history is made only from written documents. Although it builds on a larger discussion among specialists, it makes its arguments through case studies, hoping to simultaneously entertain and inspire. The twenty case studies take us from the Galapagos Islands to India and from a third-century Egyptian papyrus fragment to a board game based on the twentieth-century comic strip "Dagwood and Blondie." A companion website catalogs the more than two hundred objects in the original exhibition and suggests ways in which the principles outlined in the book might change the way people understand the tangible things that surround them.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Best Practices for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book The American Revolution by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Science, Explanation, and Rationality by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Greek History: Hellenistic: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Where the Conflict Really Lies : Science, Religion, and Naturalism by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book The Changing Face of Christianity by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book History of Science: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book The Tale of the Scale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book The Bible and the Believer:How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Aristophanes: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book The Framing of Sacred Space by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Spirits of Blood, Spirits of Breath by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Living Opera by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Unmuted by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
Cover of the book Why Mothers Kill by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell, Sara Schechner, Samantha van Gerbig, Sarah Anne Carter
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy