Containing the Past, the Present and the Future: Packing a Suitcase
Containing the Past, the Present and the Future: Packing a Suitcase
Author(s): Orvar LöfgrenSubject(s): Customs / Folklore, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Culture and social structure , Sociology of Culture, Migration Studies
Published by: Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku
Keywords: mobility; luggage; suitcase; containment; throwntogetherness; temporalities;
Summary/Abstract: Everyday life is a constant negotiation between experiences and memories of the past, the challenges of the present and longings and anxieties about the future. My paper focuses on "the throwntogetherness" of such temporal frames. How are they synchronized or kept apart? My chosen example is the suitcase, which I will analyze with the help of two perspectives focusing on the acts of throwing together and con- taining, to explore how the past, the present and the future is organized, intertwined and stored. The mundane tasks of packing and unpacking will be explored in different contemporary and historical settings, among holidaymakers, migrants, commuters and refugees. The suitcase works as both a material and cultural container.
Journal: Narodna umjetnost - Hrvatski časopis za etnologiju i folkloristiku
- Issue Year: 53/2016
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 59-74
- Page Count: 16
- Language: English