par Gosselain, Olivier
Référence From surface to substrate : The Archaeology and Art History of Material Transfers (7-8 novembre 2014: New York, Institute of Fine Arts)
Publication Non publié, 2014
Communication à un colloque
Résumé : Drawing on examples collected among Nigerien potters between 2002 and 2010, I will show how seemingly trivial technical details may provide clues about important processes such as the construction and maintenance of social boundaries or the spatial circulation of people. They often prove more reliable in that regard than more visible, ‘macro’ elements. The caveat is that such technical details are hardly informative in themselves. To become meaningful, they must be placed into an appropriate analytical framework and, above all, carefully contextualized.