Parents, Infants and Material Culture

Author(s): Kathryn Kamp

Year: 2018

Summary

A study of over 50 U.S. parents of infants that included interviews and the recording of toys and living spaces shows that material culture does provide clues to both parental beliefs and behaviors, but, not surprisingly, the reflection is imperfect. The material presence of infants is considerable, but even in relatively affluent households much of it is often second hand and gifted, so may not directly reflect the espoused beliefs of parents. This is especially true of objects reflecting gender stereotypes. In addition, even infants interact significantly with objects that are designed for adults and adult activities rather than designated as specifically for infants or children.

Cite this Record

Parents, Infants and Material Culture. Kathryn Kamp. Presented at The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Washington, DC. 2018 ( tDAR id: 443695)

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Spatial Coverage

min long: -168.574; min lat: 7.014 ; max long: -54.844; max lat: 74.683 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20187