The book Material Culture in America: Understanding Everyday Life illustrates the material culture of the people who have lived in the United States of America for a considerably long time. The introductory part of the book offers an overview of this piece of literature and brings material culture into focus. Specifically, the book has emphasized three different aspects of material culture (Sheumaker and Wajda 29).
The author notes that most of the studies that entail material culture have been studies a lot in the United States and also in various interdisciplinary fields. By studying the book, the readers are capable of identifying the solid foundation of American studies and material cultural studies that stress the importance of relying on the methodologies and theories of various disciplines.
This is an indication that the author of the book is capable of using appropriate techniques to show all the material culture studies that were undertaken by different researchers in this field. The first aspect is an elaborate description of the different scholarly disciplines that enhance the incorporation of material culture in studying society and the history of America.
This aspect entails various theoretical issues, professional practices, and methodologies that make it easy for people to be conversant with the material culture in America. Some of the entries found in this category include archaeology, anthropology, social history, and various studies that focus on disability.
The second aspect includes all the other entries that link with the aspirations of the culture in the United States, the sepulchral monuments, religious dress, trailer and mobile home parks (Sheumaker and Wajda 47). The last aspect lays a lot of emphasis on the experiences of individuals in material culture. It is evident that the author is in a position to expound a lot of issues in the initial sections of the book.
This assists the reader to obtain prior information on the content of the entire book. Also, the strategy used in the introductory section of the book offers significant contribution especially to people who might have challenges in understanding the concepts used in the book.
All the entries in the book are arranged alphabetically. Each of the entries ranges from one to six pages in length. However, it is important to note that the majority of the entries in the book have approximately two pages. Also, the book contains other features that facilitate the reading process.
For instance, cross-references, a list of further readings and references are some of the elements in the book that make it appealing to readers. Most of the entries in the book are authored by co-editors while the bibliography that contains fifty-two pages is arranged according to the type of material and the corresponding topic.
An example of a topic found in the book is theory and methodology. Besides, journals, cultural, ethnographic and social approaches represent good examples of some of the materials that have been used in the book.
All the entries in the book are presented well and this makes the reader gain a more understanding of the various snippets that contain information on the movement of freegan, the history, and development of sex toys, the establishment of sweepers made from carpet, and the appearance of toilet paper rolls that are produced using highly advanced technologies (Sheumaker and Wajda 87).
Though the criteria used for selection is unclear, the scholarship in the book appears to be presented quite well. The author argues that the “meaning” or “message” of a given object was easily understood since the study continued to receive a lot of attention among people in the United States.
I am reflecting the incorporation of art-historical analysis and other studies on material culture assisted in communicating the importance of collecting and studying information. The latter appeared to be relevant in helping the Americans to gain an adequate understanding of the material culture.
In spite of the ability of the author to provide a vivid explanation of the above issues, it is worth to mention that some of the entries in the book only explain the material culture of a few years thereby ignoring the full spectrum of the culture in the history of America.
There are some issues in the book that cannot be easily understood by the reader. For instance, the brevity of some of the entries, choice of topics and exclusion of other topics is not clear. This may easily become a major hindrance to people who would want to read the book. The signed entries in the book are capable of representing a wide range of categories.
These categories include physical objects such as political ephemera, human body, attics, and fanzines. The commercial and social activities found in the entries include the yard sales, utopian communities, and auctions while the aesthetics entail modernism and art nouveau. Gender, illicit pleasures, and mourning are typical examples of the aspect that involve human experiences.
On the other hand, the servant quarters and shopping centers are used in the book to represent the place aspect. Apart from the signed entries that are directed towards the general or undergraduate readership, the entries also help to portray interesting stories on objects (such as mobile homes) that are generally common. The use of stories in these entries enables the reader to grasp all the vital information found in the entry.
Eventually, it enhances the study process on material culture. The author asserts that the studies on material culture in the United States are relatively new in academic circles even though all the artifacts used in the study were collected long before the nation was founded. Most of the artifacts used in the study were collected by men and women who lived between the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.
By using this information, readers can understand how the study on material culture began in the United States of America. The objects collected for undertaking this study were mainly those that provided a fair representation of American history. It is interesting to learn that most Americans enjoyed developing their collections.
For example, children preferred to create curiosity cabinets that were mainly filled with unique and natural specimens such as minerals, moss, and leaves. A thorough study of the book also offers an opportunity for readers to understand the inception of historical societies in the United States. For example, most of the American states began with the establishment of the Massachusetts Historical Society in the year 1791.
The book explains how historical societies and the state valued antiquarian material culture. This was the time when studies on material culture began. Also, the study process involved the interpretation of material culture to facilitate an adequate understanding of the culture and also make it easier to narrate the past.
The author reiterates that the material culture study was to a larger extent, democratized and enhanced mostly by the new deal that was funded by the president. When the Second World War came to an end in 1945, studies on material culture were reinforced and firmly incorporated in the academic field.
It is not surprising to learn that studies on material culture emerged and spread rapidly such that they even surpassed other several disciplines that had been earlier established. The author vividly explains the level of study which the American scholars were able to embrace when examining American history, literature, and art (Sheumaker and Wajda 112).
This is vital to both the past and modern American civilizations since it provides a platform for increasing individual knowledge on material culture. By so doing, individuals can direct their actions by aligning themselves with the requirements of the culture.
Although this piece of literature provides detailed and vital information to the reader, it is not completely infallible. The book has quite several weaknesses such as the inability of the editors to explain the selection criteria and the important issues that should be contained in the various entries of the book.
In terms of the issues that the author can identify, it is evident that the number of pages allocated for each entry may not be sufficient to provide an adequate explanation of each of the issues outlined. Secondly, the arrangement of the entries in alphabetical order and the absence of a well defined or thematic indexing make it very difficult for the reader to have a clear picture of the expected overall conceptual framework.
Moreover, the book entries appear to have titles that not necessarily match the contents. Titles such as Second Hand Goods and Shopping and commercial food venues do not appear appropriate to the reader. This may negatively interfere with the reader’s attitude and perception of the book.
In my view, incorporating a lot of issues in the book makes it difficult for the readers to grasp the study process of the material culture in the United States. It would make sense if the author could avoid being too wordy to explain some concepts that do not offer a significant contribution to the study.
In any case, the author should focus on the outstanding issues that enhance individual understanding of material culture. For instance, issues that provide a thorough explanation of how the study began and the various strategies or techniques used by researchers to study the culture are indeed vital.
In conclusion, it is pertinent to assert that this book is an interesting piece to study. Although it has slight weaknesses, it should be adopted by both the public and undergraduate academic libraries since its content is academically acceptable. Besides, it has detailed literature on the aspect of the material culture of people in the United States.
The book can also offer a significant starting point for other researchers who wish to undertake further research in material culture. It is worth to note that the author of the book has managed to explain all the vital information that relate to material culture. This has this enhanced and equally expanded the knowledge of the audience on the subject of material culture in the United Sates.
Works Cited
Sheumaker, Helen and Shirley, Teresa Wajda. Material Culture in America: Understanding Everyday Life. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.