This book offers scholarly state-of-the-art presentations concerning material culture research at this critical stage in its development. These essays describe the emerging field of Material Culture Studies and the new ways it offers for seeking an understanding of our society's basic values and beliefs. They provide fresh insights into the world of goods and the meaning we derive from ordinary things. Drawing on both historical and contemporary perspectives, Living in a Material World includes contributions from scholars in history, anthropology, folklore, art history, and American studies.

Gerald L. Pocius is Director of the Centre for Material Culture Studies at Memorial University, Associate Professor of Folklore, and member of the Archaeology Unit. He was a NEH Research Fellow at Winterthur Museum in 1985. He is currently an Associate Editor of Journal of American Folklore. His publications include: Textile Traditions of Eastern Newfoundland (1979); Dimensions of Canadian Architecture, with Shane O'Dea (1984); and A Place to Belong (1991).

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"Living in a Material World produces a useful dialectic, one that will be integral to anyone trying to locate the material in a market system that is becoming increasingly opaque. It is a valuable contribution not only for those scholars engaging with economics but also for those interested in the burgeoning field of material culture studies."

Lisa Klaar, The Information Society

“Each chapter is suggestive in its own way and each contains insights that will stimulate further inquiry. In total, Living in a Material World exists as a valuable section of provocative essays that largely realize their editor’s aim.”

Gregg Finley, Material History Review