"This should become a core text for second year courses in sociology and cultural studies... it synthesizes a vast body of literature and a complex range of debates into a text which is at once accessible, engaging and stimulating... it will lead to students seeing and thinking about the material world in a totally new light and can be used as a way into key theoretical debates." Keith Tester, Professor of Social Theory, University of Portsmouth * In what ways do we interact with material things? * How do material objects affect the way we relate to each other? * What are the connections between material things and social processes like fashion, discourse, art and design? Through wearing clothes, keeping furniture, responding to the ring of the telephone, noticing the signature on a painting, holding a paperweight and in many other ways, we interact with objects in our everyday lives. These are not merely functional relationships with things but are connected to the way we relate to other people and the culture of the particular society we live in - they are social relations. This engaging book draws on established theoretical work, including that of Simmel, Marx, McLuhan, Barthes and Baudrillard as well as a range of contemporary empirical work from many humanities disciplines. It uses ideas drawn from this work to explore a variety of things - from stone cairns to denim jeans, televisions to penis rings, houses to works of art - to understand something of how we live with them.

Material Culture in the Social World

Politics & Social Sciences

Dant, Tim

Social Sciences

Open University Press

The traditional approach to culture focuses on the symbolic meanings of objects rather than the impact that these objects have on contemporary life. Using the car as a recurring theme, Tim Dant challenges the well-established idea that consumption is the principal relationship with “things” in our lives and argues that it is through material interaction with the objects around us that we confront our society. Drawing on, and debating with, historical, philosophical, and theoretical discourses that address materiality, this book is of interest to students and researchers in a variety of disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, and technology studies.

Materiality and Society

Discourse And Material Culture

Business & Money

Economics

Knowledge, Ideology and Discourse: A Sociological Perspective

Modern developments in the theory of ideology and the structuralist analysis of discourse mean that some traditional problems of the sociology of knowledge can be tackled anew. This book argues that knowledge, ideology and discourse are different aspects of the same phenomenon. In developing the argument, the author examines the major contribution of Karl Mannheim and looks at how it was received. The Marxist theory of ideology is also examined, as is the emergence of discourse as a central focus in structuralist analysis. The connections and overlaps between these three strands of work are brought out with reference to more recent work in the sociology of science, critical linguistics and the analysis of women's knowledge. The author also shows how a discourse approach to the sociology of knowledge can be applied to problems of sexuality, ageing, disability and deafness.

Routledge

Knowledge, Ideology & Discourse: A Sociological Perspective (Routledge Revivals)

This student textbook, originally published in 1991, tackles the traditional problems of the sociology of knowledge from a new perspective. Drawing on recent developments in social theory, Tim Dant explores crucial questions such as the roles of power and knowledge, the status of rational knowledge, and the empirical analysis of knowledge. He argues that, from a sociological perspective, knowledge, ideology and discourse are different aspects of the same phenomenon, and reasserts the central thesis of the sociology - that knowledge is socially determined.

Sociology

This student textbook, originally published in 1991, tackles the traditional problems of the sociology of knowledge from a new perspective. Drawing on recent developments in social theory, Tim Dant explores crucial questions such as the roles of power and knowledge, the status of rational knowledge, and the empirical analysis of knowledge. He argues that, from a sociological perspective, knowledge, ideology and discourse are different aspects of the same phenomenon, and reasserts the central thesis of the sociology - that knowledge is socially determined.

Critical Social Theory: Culture, Society and Critique

Critical theory has left an indelible mark on postwar social thought. But what are the relations between critical theory and ′the cultural turn′ ? How did critical theory inform later French critical theorists, such as Lefebvre, Barthes and Baudrillard?  This accomplished and accessible book:  - Demonstrates the origins of critical theory in the Marxian analysis of the capitalist mode of production and Freudian psychoanalysis  - Clearly explains the main achievements of critical theory  - Elucidates how critical theory defines culture as a system that constrains and alienates the individual  - Explores the potential for social change and personal emancipation in the critical heritage.  The author locates the importance of myth and reason, the significance of sexuality, the place of work, the difference between art and entertainment, the nature of everyday life and the relationship between knowledge and action. The result is a lucid and informative text which will appeal to all students interested in the critical traditions of social thought.

Sage Publications Ltd.

It remains to be seen whether the practice of using female models to embody the corporate identities of international auto companies was in fact a final spasm of extravagance from an industry now in crisis. Thankfully, Dutch photographer Jacqueline Hassink's Car Girls is a subversively fun, conceptually sharp and smartly designed document of the spectacle. A body of work that has taken more than five years to complete, Car Girls captures seven car shows in cities on three different continents. Each site was chosen by Hassink to reflect different cultural values regarding ideal images of women and beauty. By highlighting the association between gender, sexuality, power and commodification, Hassink heightens the surreality of the show, revealing what she identifies as "a moment of performance in which the women became more like a doll or a tool instead of an individual." Earlier this year, a 1,500-copy limited edition of Car Girls was published. This second, "travel-sized" edition of Hassink's instant classic has been created to satisfy popular demand, and was, like the first edition, exquisitely designed by Irma Boom.Jacqueline Hassink, born in Enschede, the Netherlands in 1966, has published extensively, most recently The Power Book (2007) and Domains of Influence (2008). Her photographs are in the collections of the Huis Marseille, Amsterdam, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, among other institutions. She is represented by Cohen Amador Gallery, New York.

Jacqueline Hassink: Car Girls: The Travel Edition

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Aperture

Jacqueline Hassink: Car Girls, Limited Edition (Portfolio Edition with 5 Prints)

Hassink, Jacqueline

Martin, Lesley A.

Aperture Foundation, Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dant, Tim. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Dant, Tim

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dant, Tim. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Material Culture in the Social World

Materiality and Society

Discourse And Material Culture

Knowledge, Ideology and Discourse: A Sociological Perspective

Knowledge, Ideology and Discourse: A Sociological Perspective

Knowledge, Ideology & Discourse: A Sociological Perspective (Routledge Revivals)

Knowledge, Ideology & Discourse: A Sociological Perspective (Routledge Revivals)

Critical Social Theory: Culture, Society and Critique

Jacqueline Hassink: Car Girls: The Travel Edition

Jacqueline Hassink: Car Girls, Limited Edition (Portfolio Edition with 5 Prints)