1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910819560203321

Autore

Schiffer Michael B (Michael Brian), <1947->

Titolo

The material life of human beings : artifacts, behavior, and communication / / Michael Brian Schiffer with the assistance of Andrea R. Miller

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London ; ; New York : , : Routledge, , 1999

ISBN

1-134-63725-X

1-134-63724-1

0-203-03054-0

1-280-33091-0

0-203-25807-X

9786610330911

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (173 pages)

Altri autori (Persone)

MillerAndrea R

Disciplina

306

Soggetti

Material culture

Human behavior

Communication and culture

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [129]-150) and index.

Nota di contenuto

What is human behavior? -- Artifacts and ~interpersonal~ communication -- Some first principles -- A general theory of communication -- Basic communication processes -- Explaining performance: a general model of receiver response.

Sommario/riassunto

In this ground-breaking work, the distinguished anthropological theorist, Michael Brian Schiffer, presents a profound challenge to the social sciences. Through a broad range of examples, he demonstrates how theories of behavior and communication have too often ignored the fundamental importance of objects in human life. In The Material Life of Human Beings, the author builds upon the premise that the most important feature of human life is not language but the relationships which take place between people and objects. The author shows that artifacts are involved in all modes of human communication - be they visual, auditory or tactile. By creatively folding elements of postmodernist thought into a scientific framework, he creates new



concepts and models for understanding and analyzing communication and behavior. Challenging established theories within the social sciences, Michael Brian Schiffer offers a reassessment of the centrality of materiality to everyday life.