Metaphor and Material Culture

This book provides an innovative contribution to debates about the use of metaphor in the social sciences written by one of today′s foremost archaeological theorists. Christopher Tilley combines theoretical interpretation with practical examples to show the significance of the concept of metaphor in the study and writing of material forms. The first part of the book provides an overview of the use and value of the notion of metaphor in its broadest sense. Tilley argues that without metaphor human communication would be almost impossible and he shows how metaphors provide the basis for an interpretative understanding of the world. He then presents three archaeological and ethnographic studies of metaphors chosen to demonstrate the richness of the concept for understanding texts, objects and artworks. Part III of the book examines metaphor more specifically in relation to the social construction of landscape and the meaning of place in the prehistoric past and the present. The author concludes by developing elements of a theory of material forms as "solid metaphor". The book will be of interest to all those examining metaphor in its various applications.

Contents: Preface. List of Illustrations. List of Tables. Part I: Metaphor and the constitution of the world: . 1. Metaphor in language, thought and culture. 2. Solid metaphor: the analysis of material forms. Part II: Text, artefact, art: Introduction. 3. Frozen metaphor: megaliths in texts. 4. The metaphorical transformations of Wala canoes. 5. Body metaphors in southern Scandinavian rock art. Part III: Landscapes and a sense of place: Introduction. 6. The beach in the sky. 7. Performing culture in the global village. 8. Conclusions. References. Index.

Christopher Tilley is Professor of Material Culture in the Department of Anthropology and the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He is the author of many books relating social theory to the study of material forms. Recent publications include Interpretative Archaeology (editor, 1993), A Phenomenology of Landscape (1994) and An Ethnography of the Neolithic (1996).

" Metaphor and Material Culture should win many converts, for it is his best book so far ... No one need feel inhibited from reading this study. In fact it has important lessons for all of us." Cambridge Archaeological Journal <!––end––> "This is an innovative book which raises important issues relevant to students of material culture." George Bankes, University of Manchester, Journal of The Royal Anthropological Institute