F15 Roberts - ANTHRCUL 158 - The Anthropology of Garbage
Cultural Anthropology (AnthrCul) 158
The Anthropology of Garbage
Elizabeth Roberts
Why is someone's trash, another’s treasure? Why is dirt disgusting inside but not outside the house? Why do people around the world deal with their garbage so differently? What does pollution and toxic waste have to tell us about social hierarchies, like race and class? In this course we address these questions by introducing first year students to how anthropologists think about garbage, waste, pollution, disorder and disgust. Together we will read books and articles, watch films and analyze popular media in order to challenge what we think we know about the perennial problem of garbage.
George Vargas Michigan Worker welding goggles, metal, hanging bells, rusty bottle cap, pulleys, chains, and padlock mounted on plywood 20 7/8 in x 10 3/8 in x 2 9/16 in (53.02 cm x 26.35 cm x 6.51 cm);20 7/8 in x 10 3/8 in x 2 9/16 in (53.02 cm x 26.35 cm x 6.51 cm) Gift of the artist
Tyree Guyton Untitled (Paint Cans) paint cans, wooden crate, American flag, rearview mirror, and ceramic figurine 33 1/2 in x 28 1/8 in x 12 in (85.09 cm x 71.44 cm x 30.48 cm) Gift of H. David Zucca
Gordon Newton Model No. 30183 wood, paint, and rubber on a wooden base 11 in x 12 in x 9 1/2 in (27.94 cm x 30.48 cm x 24.13 cm) Gift of H. David Zucca
Walker Evans Street Trash, New York gelatin silver print on paper 8 in x 10 in (20.32 cm x 25.4 cm);14 3/8 in x 19 3/8 in (36.51 cm x 49.21 cm) Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Lunn, Jr., in Honor of the Centennial of The Michigan Daily
John A. Chamberlain Untitled paper, aluminum foil, glue, and painted resin 4 5/8 in x 7 1/2 in x 5 1/8 in (11.75 cm x 19.05 cm x 13.02 cm);8 7/16 in x 10 1/4 in x 10 1/4 in (21.43 cm x 26.04 cm x 26.04 cm) Gift of the Lannan Foundation in Honor of the Pelham Family
Buky Schwartz Line A-C mixed media, wool on canvas 28 1/4 in x 20 1/4 in (71.76 cm x 51.44 cm) Gift in honor of Dr. E. Bryce and Harriet Alpern, by their children
Burhan Cahit Doğançay Faschismus collage, acrylic, pencil, chalk, and sand on cardboard 34 1/2 in x 27 in (87.6 cm x 68.6 cm) Anonymous gift
Betye Saar Colored mixed media assemblage with photographs, paper, and thread on wood 14 ½ in x 30 in x 1 ½ in (36.83 cm x 76.2 cm x 3.81 cm);10 in x 5 in x ½ in (25.4 cm x 12.7 cm x 1.27 cm) Museum purchase made possible by Dr. James and Vivian Curtis and the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi Calling Radio Free America photolithograph on paper 14 15/16 in x 10 in (38 cm x 25.4 cm) Gift of Professor Diane M. Kirkpatrick
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi Frank Lloyd Wright says...Tough Times photolithograph on paper 14 15/16 in x 10 in (38 cm x 25.4 cm) Gift of Professor Diane M. Kirkpatrick
Object Orange Auburndale Site, Highland Park, MI, #3 iris print on paper 22.9 x 33 1/16 in. (58.26 x 83.98 cm);20 1/4 x 32 9/16 in. (51.43 x 82.71 cm);22.9 x 33 1/16 in. (58.26 x 83.98 cm) Museum purchase made possible by Stuart and Maxine Frankel
Hana Hamplová Untitled gelatin silver print on paper 23 1/16 in x 23 1/8 in (58.58 cm x 58.74 cm);32 5/16 in x 26 1/4 in (82.07 cm x 66.68 cm) Gift of Mrs. Marion Hrebek Keys