Those Obscure Objects of Desire

Abstract

The desire to collect objects that represent a distant age has long been a part of the human social anatomy. However, only in the last several decades have academics given attention to collecting behaviors that affect local and global heritage sites. Although this scholarly discourse has become increasingly sophisticated, writers still often cast all collecting within the framework of “looting.” Grounded in detailed ethnographic interviews and observations in the San Pedro Valley of Arizona, this study suggests other possible connections to the archaeological landscape. By incorporating a more humanistic approach and focusing on the everyday experiences of people who collect objects, scholars may more fully comprehend the complex intersections that link people to the ancient past through things.

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