The Concept of Material Culture and Its Dimensions

Material culture entails the physical aspect that represents culture in terms of architecture and objects surrounding people. It includes aspects such as creation, consumption, usage, and trade of objects as well as the norms, ritual, and behaviors created by this materials. It mainly focuses on material evidence which contributes to culture, in present, and in the past. Material culture explains a relationship that exists between people of a given society and the things they possess or access to. This include; the making, reservations, history and objects interpretations (Tilley, 2012.P116-126).

This, therefore, means that materiality is an element of culture that cannot be separated or forgone. Additionally, materiality integrates humanities and social sciences such as archeology, art history, historic preservation and literary criticism. Basically, anything from architectural elements and buildings to jewelry, toothbrushes, and books are best considered as material culture. Materiality has in a great way tried to explain the evolution of different cultures and how people have evolved from the traditional way of doing things to the current way of doing things. This in my own view is the reason as to why materiality cannot be separated from culture as it forms a core aspect.

Materiality according to research is the origin of culture as it evaluates how our forefathers used to do their things and how the current generation does and perceives things. Researchers in various fields of anthropology have perceived objects to have different meaning based on different cultures. The basic reason for evaluating and valuing material is based on the monetary and sentimental value. This means that materiality aspect in culture have been used mostly in trade and business where people evaluate the worth of a commodity by evaluating its value. According to Kahneman, it is impossible to separate culture from materiality since it one of the core elements of culture that have been in existence for many decades and is still in use to determine the culture of different people.

Materiality evaluates and explores cultural dimension in terms of global connectivity, globalization and focuses on the mobility of material culture (Cooper, 2013. P1002). Furthermore, materiality in culture tends to evaluate how the meaning of styles, objects as well as aesthetics have changed over time. For example, in the past, people from different cultures have used diverse types of toothbrush such as salt and sticks obtained from particular trees but in the current society, this has been replaced by a plastic form of the toothbrush which is more reliable and more effective. This is an indication of how materiality aspect of culture has enables researchers to determine how changes have taken place over the past years.

Additionally, “materiality also seeks to address the global issue on how these collections help raise, such as the role they play within contemporary debates on citizenship and belonging. For example, people are interested in the role that these material objects can play for groups who feel a sense of place within multiple societies” (Stocking, 2013, P120-122). Museums also play a key role in materiality as it gives clear evidence of how different societies have embraced different cultures. Materiality has also played a key role in shaping human experience. Materiality as an element of culture has also facilitated communication between people as other forms of communication such as gestures, speech, and touch. Materials in culture such as artifacts contain memories and experiences over time which can be shared across various generations. Material culture also shows how culture has evolved in different societies. Language has also developed over time from simple objects to more advanced objects. Gift giving and appreciation has also been identified as an aspect of cultural materiality as it’s a universal phenomenon which portrays an emotional meaning. Culture in itself has been regarded as symbols, beliefs, artifacts, and values that define a group of people. These elements are all represented in materiality and hence this makes it impossible to separate materiality as an element of culture.

Material culture also helps in understanding the way of life of people in the society as it provides evidence of how they have evolved in terms of equipment’s they used, the tools as well as the way of life. For example, artifacts and archeological evidence that has been found by researchers indicate that the early man used coins as a medium of exchange. This, however, has improved where man has adapted a new way of exchange such as money and use of paper currency. Material culture repositories and museums are by nature “are active contributors and participants in the heritage industry” (Gould, 2014P.889-989). This means that the industry of heritage depends heavily on objects and material culture to interpret more about cultural heritage. Therefore there is the need to conserve material culture since it motivates people to visit historical sites, museums and other collections so as to interact with physical objects and ideas that are of the past. Additionally, “social relations are embodied in materiality”. A material cannot valid if a meaning is not associated with it.

Generally, commodities, gifts, and money play a key role in producing cultural meanings as well as meditating for social relations in several ways. The art of giving gifts has been in existence for ages and it differs in meaning between different cultures. To some cultures, gifts are an expression of gratitude or appreciation while to some culture, gift giving is seen as a form of cultural etiquette. Basically, the culture of giving has a different meaning based on the understanding of the different group of people. For example, people who have grown up in Chinese and western cultures perceive gifts as either a curse or a blessing from someone. Additionally, to some cultures, gift giving have been used as a way of creating a good relationship between different communities that have been rivals or connecting people who may be having a misunderstanding for a period of time.

Furthermore, the culture of giving has been used to symbolize peace where people give their surplus. Gift giving is also symbolized unity and love according to different cultures when a person gives a gift in terms of money, food or commodities to those who do not have. This is a symbol of sharing with those who are not able to provide for their basic needs and the poor. The art of giving has also been a way of clearing misunderstanding between different cultures when the presentation of gifts is seen as a way of seeking for forgiveness.

To some cultures, gifts are given on occasions such as weddings, Christmas, new year and baby delivery to portray a meaning of togetherness and appreciation. Often, when a person travels to another country or a place where one is expected to stay for some time, it is an expectation that when returning back, he/she will come with gifts for those who were left behind. This means that gift giving has been recognized by almost every culture as important and a good way of appreciating people. To some cultures, the art of giving has been seen as a tradition that should be observed and hence people like the Chinese are obligated to sending gifts during special occasions such as Christmas as part of their tradition. Therefore, to them, gift giving is more of a cultural etiquette and more of an obligation.

In some cultures, it is a taboo or a bad thing to reject gifts that are offered by someone. For example, in some cultures such as that of Africans and Chinese, when one is given a gift, it is expected of him to first reject the gift “with an expression that the gift giver is far too kind”, however after minutes of “shoving and pushing”, one can then receive the gift. Giving to some cultures has been a way of creating strong social relationship since it is an indication of love and care towards others. According to Gregory, a gift to an enemy or a potential friend helps to establish a relationship. Gifts according to some cultures is also an indication of respect to others hence it's used to convey a particular message among different people and different cultures (Vilaça,2014 PS322-S332).

In the current society, gift giving has been used as a way of enhancing relationships between two or more governments and end tribal disputes between communities and states. Generally, cultural meanings are delivered from these aspects such as money giving as a form of a gift and giving of commodities. Money has been used by different cultures as a medium of exchange and also a way to show gratitude to others and rewarding a person or doing well. In the current society, people have adopted the ideology of giving money and other valuable commodities as gifts or as most cultures regard it as “token of appreciation for good deeds” The desire for commodities have also contributed to neglect by some people of their cultures. This means that some people have opted to neglect their cultures so as to acquire wealth and other self-accomplishment. This, therefore, has resulted in them facing some consequences as different cultures dictate. For example in my society and the culture that I have been brought up in, obtaining commodities of money through unlawful ways such as stealing has negative implications which must accompany a person who goes contrary to the set rules. This is an indication that different cultures have varying rules that govern the aspect of gift giving, holding money as well as other commodities.

Cultural meanings have also been derived from use of currency or money which have replaced the traditional form of barter trade. Gifts on the other side have been used to mark occasions that have been regarded as important in different cultures. For example, in work places, gift giving is an act of motivating employees to perform better and to promote the image of the organization. Gift giving culture in different societies has therefore been used to enhance strong social relations among people in a given family, community or in the work place. Money, on the other hand, has portrayed the aspect of unity due to use of the same currency for a given country and hence preserving different cultures. However, different cultures have a different understanding of money and vary in terms of the functions (Hodder, 2013P 104-128).