Die Sprache der Dinge: Authentizität oder Fiktion, Geschichte oder Mythos?
Baessler-Archiv XLVI.1998:307-328
The language of things: authenticity or fiction, history or myth?
##Ethnographic objects, just like artifacts of old cultures, hold a noticeable attraction for the observer - for experts as well as the lay public. The scientific investigation of old collections, i.e. the interpretation of single objects as well as the comparison with the corresponding documentation, if available, supports the determination of relevant and checkable statements on the material culture of a society. Ideally, the object under investigation represents a whole category of objects of a non-European society. However, the ideal case is not the rule; in most cases the investigator finds himself confronted with the individual biography of the given object which yields a plethora of unexpected and complex stories. Aside from those aspects that pertain to the object itself, the biographical documentation always reflects the world view of the biographer and his time. As such, object biographies provide a rich field of study for future generations of researchers, leading to unexpected results in many cases.##
Keywords: museal objects, objects, material culture, museums, interpretation of objects
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