ESCP Europe

The collection treats the "meaningfulness" of objects instead of the more narrow concern with meaning that has colored their interpretation. Three case studies of objects in the domestic sphere follow : the soundscape produced by some radios, the English obsession with gardening in the context of domestic interiors, and home catalog shopping. The next section of the book widens the inquiry to the relationship between objects and the public sphere, including chapters on the use of banners in parades in Northern Ireland, the role of paper in the workplace, and the consumption of calypso music in Trinidad. The final essays of the collection examine the global/local articulations of objects with studies of the relationship between the production and consumption of Coca-cola in Trinidad, how Estonians of Swedish descent react to aid from Sweden, and how women in the Philippines embody two contrasting ideas of modernity.