Matériel Culture

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Material Aspects of Global Conflict" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Most studies of 20th-century conflict focus on the unprecedented destruction of people and places that was wrought during the wars. However, from an archaeological viewpoint, these conflicts were a time of proliferation of sites and items; some of these items include equipment and other supplies for the military and are herein termed “war matériel.” War matériel was often the only resource in abundance in the times of precarity and alienation accompanying conflict. As such, war matériel was salvaged, curated, reused, transformed, and recycled during and after the 20th-century wars and continues today. War matériel was often used in mundane and quotidian ways, but at other times, it was transformed into exquisite art pieces. Importantly, all items and their users were defying the life-changing destruction, displacement, and chaos from which the matériel arose. Thus, matériel culture is some of the most meaningful of the 20th century, providing insight into the “daily banality” (Gonzalez-Ruibal 2008) of wartime and post-war life. Matériel culture merits study before the memory of its origins is lost. Its study provides an alternative lens on history and a new way to engage with the aftermath of 20th-century global conflict.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Material Aspects of Global Conflict   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51904