History and its objects : antiquarianism and material culture since 1500 / Peter N. Miller.

Author
Miller, Peter N., 1964- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
  • Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2017.
  • ©2017
Description
ix, 300 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Availability

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks GN406 .M555 2017 Browse related items Request

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    Subject(s)
    Summary note
    "Cultural history is increasingly informed by the history of material culture--the ways in which individuals or entire societies create and relate to objects both mundane and extraordinary--rather than on textual evidence alone. Books such as The Hare with Amber Eyes and A History of the World in 100 Objects indicate the growing popularity of this way of understanding the past. In History and Its Objects, Peter N. Miller uncovers the forgotten origins of our fascination with exploring the past through its artifacts by highlighting the role of antiquarianism--a pursuit ignored and derided by modem academic history--in grasping the significance of material culture. From the efforts of Renaissance antiquarians, who reconstructed life in the ancient world from coins, inscriptions, seals, and other detritus, to amateur historians in the nineteenth century working within burgeoning national traditions, Miller connects collecting--whether by individuals or institutions--to the professionalization of the historical profession, one which came to regard its progenitors with skepticism and disdain. The struggle to articulate the value of objects as historical evidence, then, lies at the heart both of academic history-writing and of the popular engagement with things. Ultimately, this book demonstrates that our current preoccupation with objects is far from novel and reflects a human need to reexperience the past as a physical presence." -- Publisher's description
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Contents
    • Introduction: why historiography matters
    • History and things in the twentieth century
    • Karl Lamprecht and the "material turn" c. 1885
    • Things as historical evidence in the late Renaissance and early Enlightenment
    • Material evidence in the history curriculum in eighteenth-century Göttingen
    • Archaeology as a way of talking about things 1750-1850
    • Material culture in the amateur historical associations of early nineteenth-century Germany
    • Gustav Klemm, cultural history and, Kulturwissenschaft
    • The Germanisches Nationalmuseum: Antiquitates and cultural history in the museum
    • Conclusion: toward a future theory of the historical document.
    ISBN
    • 9780801453700 ((cloth ; : alk. paper))
    • 0801453704
    LCCN
    2016045224
    OCLC
    961213900
    Other standard number
    • 40027000858
    Statement on language in description
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