Material culture is something we can touch and can be touched by. It is simultaneously concrete artefacts and expression of values produced and shared by humans. But what is modern material culture like?

Material culture has always played an essential role in ethnological studies. The object of ethnological study has been the culture itself, the life reflected in things and artefacts, and the beliefs that lie behind the material. But like the definitions of subjects and concepts, the very meaning of material culture in modern ethnology is manifold and therefore needs to be considered continuously and repeatedly anew. This book discusses material culture from various viewpoints, such as museums, everyday life and consuming. The focus is on modern things from honeymoon mementos to sweaters and summer cottages.
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Ympärillämme olevat esineet eivät ole vain konkreettisia ja kosketeltavia kohteita, vaan myös osa identiteettiämme – esimerkiksi vaatteiden kautta rakennamme ja ilmaisemme itseämme. Teoksessa unkarilaiset ja suomalaiset etnologit luovat silmäyksiä aineellisen kulttuuriimme monimuotoisuuteen ja itsestäänselvyyksinä pidettyjen esineiden maailmaan. Ovatko tavaratalot esinenäyttelyjä museoiden tapaan? Onko museoissa vain vanhoja esineitä? Millaisia esineitä pyhiinvaeltajat tuovat kotiin matkaltaan? Millaiset esineet liittyvät yhteiskunnan marginaalissa elämiseen, niukkuuteen ja pärjäämiseen? Entä miten yltäkylläinen postmoderni kuluttaminen jäsentyy esineiden maailmassa?

Material culture is something we can touch and can be touched by. It is simultaneously concrete artefacts and expression of values produced and shared by humans. But what is modern material culture like?

Material culture has always played an essential role in ethnological studies. The object of ethnological study has been the culture itself, the life reflected in things and artefacts, and the beliefs that lie behind the material. But like the definitions of subjects and concepts, the very meaning of material culture in modern ethnology is manifold and therefore needs to be considered continuously and repeatedly anew. This book discusses material culture from various viewpoints, such as museums, everyday life and consuming. The focus is on modern things from honeymoon mementos to sweaters and summer cottages.