Collecting in Contemporary Practice

Book excerpt: This clear and lively book provides an illuminating analysis of collecting as a major social and individual phenomenon in contemporary society. The book is based on the understanding of collecting practice, rather than the collections themselves. It highlights the significance of collecting in relation to the cultural process, popular culture, contemporary attitudes to material culture and the idea of collecting as a postmodern activity. Susan Pearce presents both quantitative and qualitative information from a broad spectrum of contemporary collectors and relates their collecting to broader issues of consumption, gender, family and social class. Accessible and original, Collecting in Contemporary Practice will be of interest to students, academics and professionals in museum studies, cultural studies, anthropology and material culture studies.