Buster, Lindsey Sarah orcid.org/0000-0003-4121-9431 (2024) Letting go of attachment objects:Insights from the ‘Problematic Stuff’ of later Prehistoric Britain and beyond. In: Lipkin, Sana, Bell, Taryn and Vare, Tiina, (eds.) Archaeologies of Attachment. Springer Cham , Cham , pp. 73-81.
Abstract
In a volume dedicated to attachment, a chapter about letting go of things may seem out of place. The archaeological record, however, comprises not that which is forever retained but objects left behind. But to leave behind is not to ‘throw away’. Studies of bereaved people in contemporary society have demonstrated that attachment to things can be ad hoc and unpredictable, and that these objects need not hold any particular aesthetic or material value. Neither is this attachment particularly desirable and the associated objects burdensome. This is perhaps a depressing position for an archaeologist. How might we glimpse object attachment in the discarded items we study if, overnight, the mundane can be transformed in this way? This chapter takes a more optimistic view and demonstrates how fine-grained contextual study, with examples from later prehistoric Britain and elsewhere, can help identify these ‘problematic’ objects and, through them, the tangible emotional experiences that link past and present.
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Item Type: | Book Section |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Editors: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 25 Apr 2025 11:20 |
Last Modified: | 25 Apr 2025 11:20 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-66570-7 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Cham |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/978-3-031-66570-7 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:225774 |
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Description: Chapter 9- Letting Go of Attachment Objects (final)
