Why Fake it? Counterfeits, Emulation and Mimicry: Symbolic and Practical Motives for the Imitation of Crafts
Author(s): Jacqueline Kocer
Year: 2017
Summary
I examine the behavior of emulation wherein an artisan reproduces a craft on a less valuable or precious material to mimic a desired symbolic prestige good. I present cross-cultural examples of artisans making copies of a craft using different materials. Under what circumstances do people create counterfeit objects? Examples from the Gallina area (AD 1100-1300) of the American Southwest are discussed. The Gallina occupied an area on the periphery of a more socially complex polity (Chaco) and they appear to have lacked access to the prestige goods that they were counterfeiting. I further discuss symbols of prestige and how they might be used by the emulating group.
Cite this Record
Why Fake it? Counterfeits, Emulation and Mimicry: Symbolic and Practical Motives for the Imitation of Crafts. Jacqueline Kocer. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 429883)
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Keywords
Geographic Keywords
North America - Southwest
Spatial Coverage
min long: -115.532; min lat: 30.676 ; max long: -102.349; max lat: 42.033 ;
Record Identifiers
Abstract Id(s): 16048