Identity and Object

Catalog description

This course asks how objects from the past obtain meaning long after they were made, and how they have come to express the identity of communities, nations, and religions. We will consider fundamental questions of identity by assessing how objects become imbued with meaning. Who ascribes these objects meaning and why? How do we relate to objects designated to represent us? We will explore object biographies from a range of periods, regions and traditions. We will discuss objects representing contested national and global identities, such as the Cyrus Cylinder from Iraq and the Koh-i-noor diamond from India, as well as material that facilitates discussion of socially and culturally defined identities. In all of these examples politics plays a constant role. Through case studies of iconic objects from around the world, students will compare significance in the originating society with place and function today to better understand how, why, and by whom identity is constructed.