The Archaeology and Anthropology of Adornment

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• A grounding in social theory appropriate to understanding the archaeology and anthropology of the body
• An awareness of the range of materials and forms of material culture used to adorn the body in different cultural contexts
• An appreciation of the social role of adornment, particularly in relation to the construction and communication of social categories, including age (life-stage), gender, ethnicity, and status
• An understanding of the ways that the body can act as a surface for display and the relationship between the body and material culture
• Implement data research/collection to plan and design to a brief
• A broad knowledge of technologies and equipment associated with bodily transformation and adornment
• Engage with different cultural contexts

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Learn and apply new practical and theoretical skills
• Assimilate and evaluate different theoretical perspectives
• Deploy independent research skills

The module will be delivered through a combination of weekly lectures, seminars, object design practicals, and a fieldtrip. The topics typically covered are as follows:

• A range of social theory approaches used to understand the archaeology and anthropology of the body
• The role of the body as a surface for display and ways in which the relationship between the body and material culture may be played out
• The social role of adornment, particularly in relation to the construction and communication of social categories, including age (life-stage), gender, ethnicity, and status
• Technologies and equipment associated with bodily transformation and adornment
• The range of materials, techniques, and forms of material culture used to adorn the body in different cultural contexts

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures

Seminars

Practical design sessions

Fieldtrip

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Examples of journals with a range of relevant papers include:. African Arts Annual Review of Anthropology Body and Society Oceania

Textbooks

Mauss, M. (1935). Techniques of the Body. Duke University Press.

Howson, A. (2004). The Body in Society. Oxford: Berg.

Phillips, C. (2008). Jewels and Jewellery. London: V & A Publications.

Tait, H. (ed) (2006). 7000 Years of Jewellery. London: British Museum Press.

Fletcher, J. (2005). The Decorated Body in Ancient Egypt: hairstyles, cosmetics and tattoos. Oxford: Oxbow.

Thomas, H. (2013). The Body and Everyday Life. London: Routledge.

Ahmed S. and Stacey J. (2001). Thinking Through The Skin. London: Routledge.

Lock, M.M. & Farquhar, J.. Beyond the Body Proper: Reading the Anthropology of Material Life. Duke University Press.

Robb, J., & O. J. T. Harris. (2013). The Body in History: Europe from the Palaeolithic to the Future. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Practical

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Verbal feedback
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External