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Changing Assemblages: Vibrant Matter in Burial Assemblages

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2017

Rachel J. Crellin Open the ORCID record for Rachel J. Crellin [Opens in a new window]
Rachel J. Crellin*
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In this paper the notion of assemblage, as derived from the work of Gilles Deleuze, is explored in order to consider change in prehistory. An assemblage-based approach that draws on the concept of ‘vibrant matter’ is implemented as the means of understanding change. In this approach all materials are viewed as vibrant and in flux. These ideas are used to create a heterogeneous view of change where assemblages, or parts of assemblages, may change at varying speeds and rhythms and at many different scales. These ideas are explored through the case study of changing burial practices between 3000 and 1500 cal bc on the Isle of Man. I suggest that this kind of thinking allows us to study change differently, and explore the advantages of this approach for archaeology.

Type
Special Section: Archaeology and Assemblage
Information
Cambridge Archaeological Journal , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , February 2017 , pp. 111 - 125
Copyright
Copyright © McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research 2017 

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