英国的物质文化研究

Material Culture Studies in Britain

人类学的诞生是与对物质文化的研究密切相关的。早期人类学对物质文化的研究深受进化论思想的影响,物质文化被看做是衡量某一社会的生产力水平和社会发展程度的标志。20世纪80年代以来,伦敦大学学院的人类学系和剑桥大学的考古学系逐渐成为英国物质文化研究的两个中心,共同促成了英国考古学和人类学研究的物质文化转向。物质文化研究把物质性看做是文化的一个整体维度,强调人与物质之间的辩证关系:人创造和使用物质,物质也造就了人。在现代消费社会,大众消费成为英国物质文化研究的主要对象,并特别关注物质的消费过程和场所。人们在参与物质消费的过程中,思考他们的社会存在和生活方式。

The birth of anthropology was closely related to the studies of material culture. The studies of material culture by early anthropologists were deeply influenced by the theory of evolution.Material culture was viewed as a sign to the productivity level and development degree of a certain society. Since the 1980 s,the Department of Anthropology in University College London and the Department of Archaeology in University of Cambridge have gradually become two centers for material culture studies and jointly helped to bring about the new orientation of material culture in archaeology and anthropology studies in Britain. Material culture studies view materiality as a whole dimension of culture and emphasize the dialectical relationship between man and matter. Man creates and uses matter,and in turn matter shapes man. In contemporary consumer society,material culture studies pay major attention to mass consumption,especially the process and sites of material consumption. People will consider their social existence and lifestyle in the process of their involvement in material consumption.