Book contents
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Preclassic Figuration
- 2 Monumental Sculpture and the Human Form during the Early and Middle Preclassic Periods
- 3 Early and Middle Preclassic Figuration in Clay
- 4 Figurines at Middle Preclassic La Blanca
- 5 Figurines, Fragmentation, and Social Ties
- 6 Changing Discourses of Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- 7 High Culture and Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Epilogue
- Notes
- References
- Index
5 - Figurines, Fragmentation, and Social Ties
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 February 2020
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Preclassic Figuration
- 2 Monumental Sculpture and the Human Form during the Early and Middle Preclassic Periods
- 3 Early and Middle Preclassic Figuration in Clay
- 4 Figurines at Middle Preclassic La Blanca
- 5 Figurines, Fragmentation, and Social Ties
- 6 Changing Discourses of Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- 7 High Culture and Human Representation in Late Preclassic Mesoamerica
- Epilogue
- Notes
- References
- Index
Summary
Chapter 5 is a theoretical exploration of Preclassic ceramic figurines that takes, as its point of departure, their consistent and pervasive fragmentation, which I argue was deliberate and central to their social significance. It considers both theories of embodiment and acts in which representations were fragmented, arguing that bodily fragmentation was a key part of the process through which social identities were constructed and maintained. It surveys the archaeological data concerning fragmentation and the rich ethnohistorical and ethnographic records in Mesoamerica, and makes comparisons to other parts of the world in which figurines were also, systematically, broken and dismembered. It utilizes a variety of theoretical frameworks, including synecdoche, materiality, enchainment, and the osteological record, to make the case that figurines – and their partibility – were key to visualizing and constituting the relationship between individuals and the larger community.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Human Figuration and Fragmentation in Preclassic MesoamericaFrom Figurines to Sculpture, pp. 87 - 112Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020