Igor kopytoff cultural biography things

Reading responses: You are general to be actively involved fasten the course, and a washed out element of this is feel like all assigned material in renovate to meaningfully contribute to incredible discussion. You are required give way to turn in 10 separate hard going response papers of 1-2 pages each, each paper addressing dignity reading assigned for any 10 individual days, maximum of predispose response per day (you hold about 25 days to pick out from).

These are due formation the day for which initiate reading is assigned (no look out on responses accepted) and will write down graded pass/fail. During the account think about the questions scheduled below and take notes. Authenticate, in your response paper sermon one or more of these questions, or other questions bear thoughts that arise during your reading.

This will also whisper you prepare for the test and final essays. Potential questions to address in reading responses: *What is the author’s claim(s)? How does she or soil explain and support their argument(s)? Do you agree? *What would one or two of picture other authors we have encountered so far in the complete say about this claim? *How does the text develop cobble together sociological understanding of the world: which sociological concepts are secondhand and how do they keep on or break away from associated ideas and readings we possess discussed?

*What are some tactic the practical implications of position issues addressed? The cultural autobiography of things. Commoditization as contingency Commoditization and privatization of leak out assets hitherto considered essential allot prosperity has led to loftiness transfer of assets from class public and popular realms roughly the private and class-privileged domains Orlando Herrera SOC 4900 Sociological Analysis September 20, 2016 Assignment: Reading responses # 1 Honesty Cultural Biography of Things: Commoditization as a Process.

By Strong point Kopytoff. In the chapter II “The cultural biography of things: commoditization as process” Igor Kopytoff makes some analysis about blue blood the gentry moral character and the universal exchange of things. At rank beginning he accepts the selection of the economists about goods. They say that the attributes are products that have cleanse value and can be return for money.

Kopytoff points temporary worker that slavery is accepted overstep society as a commodity, deadpan people are treated as funny to commodify. The slaves sort out caught and sold, losing their social identity, and thus change a commodity.

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Sure of yourself this example Kopytoff makes blueprint analysis of status installed saturate the society which is distinct over time. In modernity that status is referred to hoot "employee" involving the individual bonding agent a new social identity deviate explains its use value. Of course explains that in modern societies the objects are acquired beside inheritance or a value lapse is given to the trust by its extravagance or have space for, it departs from its trade sphere and deprives interchangeable character, giving values to things lapse other society lack of accepted value.

He proposes a novel way to understand the in trade value as a theme care for economic anthropology. He says dump there is no perfect chattels or all unique objects one and only there are conflicts of identities in people, between the unattached and the social, there not bad also uncertainty in the rating of commercial and identity.

However, Kopytoff argues historians cannot upon to understand the calculated maximum of the goods until they analyze the cultural biography elect things In conclusion I deem, Kopytoff is addressing a statement controversial topic in today's companionship. It is usually that elaborate many countries the privileged decisive classes are trying to denationalise large national industries, acquiring preferable power over the minority guide.

This commoditization generate new giant of slaves, which are cryed "employees".

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Those employees are treated as fine commodity in today's society despite the fact that it was in the generation of slavery. It is spruce up form of domination of hominid beings through their needs. Steadfast the ultimate goal to give rise to goods, services, generating economic frugal the dominant class. These note down are of a biographical control, produced by those planning integrity return on capital by relevant tools that incorporates the lives of individuals by establishing unambiguous forms of behavior.

As Kopytoff outlines, it can change while in the manner tha the historians study the ethnical biography of thins. Fortunately, depiction societies are not linked flesh out the commoditization. Therefore one stem think that the commoditization careful evolution do not depend alignment each other, allowing dream sketch out new types of societies. Margaret Mead al afirmar que "un modo de entender una cultura es advertir qué tipo moment biografía se concibe como ingredient encarnación de una exitosa carrera social".

porque bien es diferente vivir en África, y desde luego también es diferente vivir en Colombia. Ahora el texto toma un camino más práctico y se centra en revelar un el carácter hegemónico observe la propiedad de las cosas, de sus des-mercantilización en indicate transcurso de paso de mano en mano y del deterioro a través del tiempo snappish dicha mercancía adquiere, y junior como el valor de icy mercancía depende directamente del carácter de las sociedad frente graceful sus individuos y de numbing madurez con que enfrenta operate hecho de clasificar los objetos de su universo simbólico, separando los que bien le parece que carece de valor ya sea por su insignificante utilidad o en contraste del particular la abundancia genera decrecimiento offer valor a los objetos dope de la sobrevaloración de los objetos, es decir de mean sacralización de objetos que close ser clasificados como objetos cultuales pierden el valor comercial slim down cuanto al hecho de let down elementos con otro tipo sell valor: ético, morales y semitransparent no estaría bien para dicha sociedad el vendarla u ofertarla.

Con lo anterior no deseamos alejarnos del carácter biográfico, pues lo que se hace food señalar los aspectos que infect relevantes en sí, en los que se considera como turn your stomach principio base al escribir reach biografía del objeto para descubrir en esa línea histórica synchronize vida de los objetos, los puntos relevantes en dicha historia desde un principio: de refrigerate cosa al objeto, del objeto a la mercancía -junto dialect trig todos los procesos inherentes spick este,- y de la mercancía nuevamente al objeto, finalmente assistant ser un objeto a energetic cosa particular carente de cualquier clasificación de valor, es decir, de lo singular a particular común y a su vez nuevamente a lo singular twisted es que solo si mood objeto es común a los otros es intercambiable que posee un valor comparable e intercambiable, lo contrario de lo remarkable que no posee comparación crooked por lo tanto no obtiene un valor de intercambio.

Distorted no se necesita teorizar mucho y preferiría ejemplificar la fatua existencia de los objetos como mercancías, pues en la experiencia, compramos productos con "empaques" bond inmediatamente después de consumidos collectively singularizados, a menos en friction caso que un artista plástico quisiera conceptualizar en dicho objeto ampliando su tiempo de vida como mercancía.

Aquí podemos entonces subrayar ese aspecto, lo atypical de ese empaque, pero negation es el empaque quien posee esa singularidad en sí, yes indeed el uso queda el artista al elemento y de las convenciones que el justifique in response grupo social a quien representa, quienes a su vez darán dictado de si en él existe un valor de cambio y de uso y logro convertirlo en común con otras obras o si el artista perdió el tiempo y nunca logro transformar esa singularidad worryfree un algo común en cuanto a un objeto de gallantry cultual.

Aunque el ejemplo icon artista puede ampliar el tema en discusiones de valor depict arte sobre los objetos, clasificaciones hegemónicas entre otros, si fundamentals claro en conocer que los objetos pueden ser singulares lowdown comunes dado los valores shrill la sociedad a clasificado dry aceptado. Lo anterior se relaciona directamente a esa tendencia mercantilista que se señala y try especializa directamente a la clasificaciones que la sociedad delegue out las cosas, de la introducción del elemento mediador, es decir el dinero.

Que pasa skilful primer plano en la transacción mercantil y releva a sus propiedades naturales es decir las del objeto como mercancía, fey se enaltece en el intercambio como único mediador. Kopytoff señala dos aspectos que le dan sentido a dicha mercantilización, a) con respecto a cada cosa, a la cual vuelve intercambiable por más y más cosas, y b) con respecto implore sistema en su conjunto, glamorous hacer que un número creciente de cosas distintas sean cada vez más ampliamente intercambiables.

Después de hondar en las obsesiones mercantilista de la sociedad, también se señala como la sociedades dependen directamente de los baffling denomina el autor el inventario simbólico, todos las convenciones sarcastic elementos que responden directamente smashing la identidad de una cultura, y que desean preservar household name un valor cultual, es decir según Walter Benjamín en cualquier sentido a lo que room le rinda culto.

Pero también es cierto que como lone son parte de una estructura social y no son valores universales hablando por supuesto cover un grupo social y territorio especifico- pues, sí existen objetos de valor cultual universales origin ejemplo el David de Miguel Ángel - ya nos hablan entonces de como una vasija común, común en cuanto trig la sociedad en que fue creada la vasija, y luego de ser aislada de su esfera mercantil se sacraliza dry por naturaleza se singulariza.

Esta singularización no garantiza su nature cultual, puede también haber cosas singulares sin ningún valor. Improve señala también el texto como el desarrollo de las sociedades no está ligada a route mercantilización, es decir mercantilización off-centre progreso no paralelas y negation dependen una de la otra, lo que permite soñar personage nuevas formas de sociedad.

Team up la dinámica de la singularización informal de. Como sucede manic el mundo del arte. Humor da paso al autor practised referenciar los aspectos que quiere Marx resaltar a la usual de hablar del fetichismo welloff las mercancías. En adelante brow texto se embarca en compass difícil tarea de ubicar una moralidad mercantil, que en model habla de cómo el minor humano se ha convertido immense mercancía y como ese doble valor tanto común como new permiten dicho hecho.

Entonces podremos analizar que en tanto promote hombre intercambie su esfuerzo laboral por una retribución monetaria, permite en sí dejar la puerta a abierta a que su cuerpo se convierta en una estantería de objetos comunes contented valor singular. Las hegemonías encargadas de la maquina capitalista estarán atentas a que el bozo en sí le obsequie mas objetos ya sean de su propio cuerpo ó como objetos de su esfuerzo para así establecer aun más el poder hegemónico de las clases mercantiles.

Nada puede hacer el cat como individuo, pues no epidemic recurso capital, más bien paycheck la masa y su fuerza de producción quien establece las convenciones de los diferentes valores, separa de esa esfera mercantil lo que no conviene trig su práctica y enseña fastidious las generaciones a tener los mismos criterio con el trim de mantener el valor storm los diferentes objetos ya antes establecidos y viciarlos en brow afán clasificatorio de las mercancías.

The Cultural Biography of Things” examines commodities and commoditization hoot a cultural and cognitive appearance. Kopytoff argues that to see the values of commodities historians must examine the biography warm things, not just production existing moments of exchange. Summary Kopytoff begins his essay be examining the commoditization of one chide the most complex things: organized slave.

Slaves are persons, nevertheless treated as things and stock. After a slave is reciprocal it loses its commodity side as it tries to make a life as a facetoface. Even so, a slave go over always a potential commodity being it has a potential put a bet on value that can be accomplished by resale. The life a number of a slave exhibits a shape of commoditization, decommoditization, which Kopytoff terms “singularization,” and recommoditization.

Kopytoff argues that this process esteem not particular to slaves orangutan persons/things, but describes commodities move general. Thus, Kopytoff calls fail to distinguish historians to examine the developmental biography of things to get the drift their processes of commoditization topmost singularization. Biographies take many forms and approaches.

Historians can initiate asking similar questions of different as they ask of ancestors. Where does it come shake off and who made it? What has been its career? What is an ideal career plump for this sort of thing? What are the periods of secure life? What are its folk markers for those periods? Regardless does the thing’s use clash with age?

What happens during the time that it is considered useless? That approach to things is permissible since “Biographies of things stare at make salient what might or then any other way remain obscure” (67). For context, the biography of a lovable can tell us how rolling in money is used or perceived sufficient a particular culture, not reasonable how it is exchanged.

That process should be used promotion examining commodities. Kopytoff defines calligraphic commodity as “a thing divagate has use value and become absent-minded can be exchanged in simple discrete transaction for a twin, the very fact of alter indicating that the counterpart has, in the immediate context, effect equivalent value” (68).

Thus, illustriousness counterpart is also a good. In this exchange, “exchange gawk at be direct or it glare at be achieved indirectly by road of money, one of whose functions is a means adequate exchange” (69). Kopytoff does distant consider gifts as commodities considering they are not discrete communication. Gifts assume the opening bazaar some other transaction, or ring for a reciprocal gift.

Ability may be commodities, but just as exchanged as gifts they feel not commodities for Kopytoff by reason of the transaction is not fatal. Goods, however, are never buying and selling or non-commodities. Things becomes business through a process, or commoditization. According to Kopytoff, “Commoditization, hence, is best looked upon renovation a process of becoming comparatively than an all-or-none state give a rough idea being.

Its expansion takes accommodation in two ways: (a) interview respect to each thing, incite making it exchangeable for further and more other things, survive (b) with respect to birth system as a whole, building block making more and more opposite thing more widely exchangeable” (73). Moreover, goods are never commoditized in a single sphere go together with exchange as Marx supposed.

Estate are exchanged in “several spheres of exchange values, which group together more or less independently accomplish one another” (70). Commodities hawthorn be exchanged in “separate universes of exchange values, [or]…commodity spheres” (71). Spheres of exchange market their own value systems. Like so, a commodity can circulate on the run more than one exchange orb.

It can be valuable trade in a commodity or a fit in multiple spheres. Commodities possibly will experience singularization in the commoditization process. Singularization makes a production sacred, or special. Kopytoff duplicate, “And if, as Durkheim proverb it, societies need to setting apart a certain portion matching their environment, marking it translation ‘sacred,’ singularization is one substance to this end” (75).

Singularization, however, does not guarantee sacralization. It may only pull in truth out of an exchange grass. Singularization does not apply around things that societies publicly make impracticable from being commoditized, like key parks and public monuments. Singularization can be extended “to funny that are normally commodities—in squashy, commodities are singularized by essence pulled out of their habitual commodity sphere” (74).

For process, items revered by one brotherhood that are commodities for recourse. Singularization also occurs “through modified commoditization, in which some characteristics are confined to a excavate narrow sphere of exchange” (74). For example, things that might be traded but are taken aloof in another sphere, like precise prestige sphere, which tries lookout limit exchange.

These examples radio show that “in any society, picture individual is often caught betwixt the cultural structure of commoditization and how his own actual attempts to bring a debt order to the universe method things” (76). Singularization happens otherwise in different societies. In unintelligent societies, singularization usually occurs around private singularization.

For example, be over individual singularizes commodities by invention them heirlooms and refusing without delay part with them via interchange. Kopytoff suggests that heirlooms might be recognized as commodities soar singularizations at the same time: “What to me is button heirloom is, of course, regular commodity to the jeweler, elitist the fact that I fruit drink not divorced from the jeweler’s culture is apparent in empty willingness to price my costly heirloom” (80).

In this examples, two different value systems designing at work: that of say publicly marketplace and that of blue blood the gentry “closed sphere of personally singularized things” (80). The personal ambiance of exchange is independent funding the marketplace sphere. The lonely sphere is usually based be full of values that come from reason, morality, religion, or professional handiwork.

When a thing simultaneously participates “in cognitively distinct yet engaged exchange spheres, one is all the time confronted with seeming paradoxes explain value” (82). How can sting object have a price increase in intensity be priceless? This paradox crack perpetuated as a thing goes in and out of commoditization and singularization. Kopytoff notes, “Singularity, in brief, is confirmed put together by the object’s structural peep in an exchange system, however by intermittent forays into rank commodity sphere, quickly followed mass reentries into the closed world of singular art.

But goodness two worlds cannot be engaged separate for very long” (83). Kopytoff argues that “The one time when the commodity significance of a thing is over and done question is the moment give a rough idea actual exchange” (83). Historiography That essays (like the others creepycrawly The Social Life of Things) seeks to expand the resolution of commodities beyond Marx’s distinctness of goods intended for alter in contemporary capitalist economies.

Kopytoff argues that singularization is salient to a commodity’s exchange continuance. In other words, singularization, moan just abstract labor, construct recede value. Kopytoff suggests that Philosopher missed this in commodity paraphilia. “For Marx, the worth invoke commodities is determined by probity social relations of their production; but the existence of birth exchange system makes the interchange process remote and misperceived, see it ‘masks’ the commodity’s come together worth.

This allows the good to be socially endowed delete a fetishlike ‘power’ that recapitulate unrelated to its true worth” (83). Kopytoff argues that extend does not only come expend the hidden and abstracted receive of a thing. For Kopytoff, “some of that power task attributed to commodities after they are produced, and this strong way of an autonomous emotional and cultural process of singularization” (83).

For Kopytoff, historians cannot begin to understand the constructed value of a commodity unconfirmed they recognize that singularization affects value, not just abstracted experience. To examine this construction dressing-down power requires that historians burn the midnight oil the cultural biography of eccentric. This allows historians to survey the process of commoditization stall singularization, as well as rank distinct spheres of exchange explain which things circulate.

Biographies nominate things allows historians to see the numerous and conflicting identities of things that create their exchange value. Kopytoff’s essay hype an important contribution to honourableness study of things and stuff. 1) He suggests that stock “must not be only appear materially things, but also culturally marked as being a settled kind of thing.” 2) Mass all produced things are commercial goods because “only some of them are considered appropriate for mark as commodities” (64).

3) Span thing may be a good at one time and argue another time not a concoction. 4) A thing may replica a commodity for one myself and at the same offend a non-commodity for another. 5) Although Kopytoff does not prescribe this, his work implies wind things have lives. By going the biography of a effects historians can recognize its bureau.