Making beads and bead making: an introduction

Moffett, Abigail Joy and Haour, Anne (2024) Making beads and bead making: an introduction. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 59 (4). pp. 463-482. ISSN 0067-270X

Preview

PDF (Moffett_Haour_2024_Beads) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Beads are a prominent category of material culture in the African past. Crosscutting their study across temporal periods and geographical areas are some general methodological and theoretical convergences: the categorisation of beads in terms of materials and methods of manufacture, an emphasis on provenance and distribution, and the analysis of beads as ‘social signals’ in relation to identity, networks, and status. This paper outlines the conceptual framework of ‘making’ and discusses how such a framework can expand on existing analyses and provide new avenues for studying beads in the African past. Beads, like all material culture, are the culmination of a dynamic process between materials and makers; the intermixing of ideas, substances and tools in time and space. A focus on making draws our attention to exploring the processes of bead composition in deeper focus, not only examining recycling and reuse but also the ways in which beads were made into composite items, such as garments or adornments. At the same time, a focus on making brings to light a concern for the encounters between material properties, knowledge, memory and sensory affects, encouraging an exploration of bead making as an assemblage of material and non-material things. We draw on a range of case studies from various regions across the African continent to illustrate the relevance of our approach for developing new insights into beads in the archaeological record.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, Beads special issue
Faculty \ School:	University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Centres > Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Area Studies Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Centres > Centre for African Art and Archaeology
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	11 Nov 2024 14:30
Last Modified:	19 Feb 2025 15:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/97607
DOI:	10.1080/0067270X.2024.2419778

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item