In defence of things: steps towards a symmetrical archaeology

The central concern of my research project is how things relate to human beings and how they contribute to the collectives normally described as societies (or cultures). Drawing on different theoretical perspectives (specially actor-network-theory and phe nomenology), it aims at illuminating and explicating how materials (things, material structures, landscapes, etc) not only provide a context or frame for social action but constitute an indispensable and enabling part of that very action (and of social an d cultural life more generally).