"Wild Things" by Judy Attfield

Book Review



“Wild Things: The Material Culture of Everyday Life”. By Judy Attfield, published 2000 by Berg.

This book highlights key issues surrounding identity within a modernised culture consumed by consumerism and the need for objects to form our existence by objectifying the material world as a persuasive activity; it is “how people make sense of the world through physical objects” (pg.1) in order to form an explanation of identity. We become innovators through a mediated process between the world and ourselves. Ubiquitous sociology investigation theorises consumption as a social activity, an embodiment of culture and consumer culture. These “things” by which we associate ourselves and identity have intrinsic meaning and value on capitalism and dynamics on the modern materialistic world. Judy argues that “post-commodity phase refers to an object once it has been personalized and thus transformed to mediate certain social transactions related to identity.” (pg.145), she claims that once we have purchased the object or commodity, we personalize them and adapt ourselves and the object to form our identity; although these “things” are global can our identity be seen as anything other than globalized and impersonal? Surely we are merely contributing to capitalism and the fashioning of culture, thus giving away our freedom of identity and individuality by subjecting ourselves to this rigorous control and policing this implies. There is an assumption that what we buy defines us and structures our identity, with which each person struggles to uniquely modify in order to create an illusion of individualism; however we are merely adhering to the governing of societal confinements and consumer culture, without actually asserting our independence like we are led to believe.

"After Theory" by Terry Eagleton

Book Review

"After Theory" by Terry Eagleton published by Penguin 2004.

This book begins by insulting modern day thinkers claiming that we have lost the ability to form new ideals and notions about society and have in fact become "submissive thinkers" compared to historical theorists such as Michel Foucault. Instead of creating originally unique theories we simply apply the old in relation to the new on the basis of societal conformity, and norms. He then continues on by talking about the societal system, norms and consumerism and how as individuals we have become inherently oppressive. We are structured by capitalism and the system requirements, even though we consider ourselves to be free and individual we can never be because of all the rules and regulations set upon us by the norms of society, our survival depends on us fulfilling the system requirements.

"Norms are oppressive because they mould uniquely different individuals to the same shape." Pg. 14

Similar to Foucault i believe that even though we strive for a time free of boundaries and restraints there is no escaping them, and in turn it could be said that we need these rules set upon us to keep order in a society under constant strain of becoming focused on self destruction, society is unstable enough even with these regulations without adding to the fury by giving people free rain on their choices and independence without fear of punishment. However although i may be making these rules seem a positive attribute on society i believe there are limits to this "control", or there "should" be limits. Surveillance appears to be getting close to crossing the boundary for invasion of privacy as individuals, we are supposedly caught on camera over 300 times a day, the government are constantly coming up with ways for them to keep a closer eye on us at all times for example implementing the new chips in our passports in order to know where in the world at any given time. The simple fact that we are caught on camera that many times each day seems intrusive, and almost "big brother" like, this alone worries me and makes me feel less individual and more like part of an institution. Obviously the book covers this briefly and then moves on to culture and capitalism joining forces which was also interesting but what left me feeling most anxious was the oppressive society system.