Culture for sale!

This week our readings centered around the ideas of commodities and consumption. The whole time I was reading, I was finding many connections to anthropology - especially in Igor Kopytoff's "The Cultural Biography of Things: Commoditization as a Process".  Kopytoff explained the many ways commoditization can begin, change, and go away.  In this essay, Kopytoff tells about the process of creating a biography of a thing. If a person can have many types of biographies (professional, social, political, familial, etc.), why not objects? This is very much like a cultural analysis of a given object. I was very happy with his explanation of commoditization in many different cultures - this is a perspective that is sometimes lost on historians. For example, Kopytoff explained that in every society, there are things that are publicly precluded from being commoditized - his example of George Washington memorabilia really hit home! George Washington is one of the very few Americans who has reached mythic status. He argues that everyone is against commoditizing something that has been publicly marked as sacred. This leads into Stallybrass's discussion in "Marx's Coat" about fetishizing objects.

The ultimate example of Washington memorabilia
Photo courtesy of {http://www.amazon.com/Chia-Washington-Handmade-Decorative-Planter}

Again, I am reminded of Philadelphia's relationship to Washington.. Once Stallybrass and Kopytoff are coupled together, their essays are actually more useful to a seminar paper I am writing than my object study. I am currently writing a paper about the commoditization of historic objects at a haunted attraction (AKA Pennhurst Asylum). Decontextualizing objects with a dark past and re-presenting them as props associated with "play" can be a troubling scenario. I argue that the commoditization of these objects can have real-world implications - like perpetuating damaging stereotypes. Objects like the ones presented at Pennhurst have a life cycle - similar to the life cycle outlined by Dr. Bruggeman in "The Shenandoah River Gundalow: Reusable Boats in Virginia's Nineteenth Century River Trade".  

Dr. Bruggeman put Kopytoff's method to work by creating a "cultural economic biography of a simple boat". The life cycle of the Shenandoah River Gundalows was fascinating, and blended a cultural object analysis with a study of nineteenth century economic patterns around the Shenandoah. The commodity value of the boat shifted through time, and the same can be said about the objects at Pennhurst Asylum. At the first stage of their "life" (or biography) they were simple, mass-produced,  medical instruments and household items. They were then modified into abusive objects. Next up, the objects became relics of a time that is often intentionally forgotten. Finally, upon rediscover, the objects have become props in an act - a haunted attraction meant for "play" and profit. What an interesting life these objects have had..

Stuff, by Daniel Miller, is another look at things through the lens of an anthropologist. What I found most interesting about this book was the way it made me think about the environment in relation to things. The idea that our environment is being shaped around our stuff is an interesting perspective. This reminds me of a conversation that was had at a session I went to at the National Council on Public History (NCPH) Conference in Baltimore a few weeks ago. One of the panelists was a Native American (Hupa) woman working for the California State Government as a mediator for relationships with local tribes. The government began changing the environment in the early twentieth century by creating a series of dams which cut off the water and fish supply to multiple tribes along a river. The natural environment, especially flowing water, is integral to the tribes' culture and lifestyle. This example is less about accommodating our things, and more about realizing the impact the environment has on culture, and vise versa.

You can find the accompanying digital exhibit on the Hupa and the Klamath River HERE