Description
Book SynopsisElaborating the history, variety, pervasiveness, and function of the adornments and ornaments with which we beautify ourselves, this book takes in human prehistory, ancient civilizations, hunter-foragers, and present-day industrial societies to tell a captivating story of hair, skin, and make-up practices across times and cultures. From the decline of the hat, the function of jewelry and popularity of tattooing to the wealth of grave goods found in the Upper Paleolithic burials and body painting of the Nuba, we see that there is no one who does not adorn themselves, their possessions, or their environment. But what messages do these adornments send? Drawing on aesthetics, evolutionary history, archaeology, ethology, anthropology, psychology, cultural history, and gender studies, Stephen Davies brings together African, Australian and North and South American indigenous cultures and unites them around the theme of adornment. He shows us that adorning is one of the few social behavior
Trade ReviewThe wondrous array of body ornaments pictured here itself adorns a wide-ranging, learned, accessible, and fascinating discussion of aesthetics by distinguished philosopher Stephen Davies.
Adornment is not only a feast for the eyes but for the mind. * Ellen Dissanayake, author of What Is Art For? and Homo Aestheticus *
Decoration is often dismissed as trivial, but Davies shows how deep-seated and functional the human impulse to decorate is. He argues that it is nothing less than one of our most fundamental modes of communication. This fascinating tour of adornment is bound to transform readers’ outlook, drawing attention to the aesthetic embellishments that we add to everything we touch. * Kathleen M. Higgins, Professor of Philosophy, The University of Texas at Austin, USA *
This work sets itself as the pinnacle of the philosophical debate on adornment and self-decoration. Holding the key-concept of “making special through aesthetic enhancement”, Davies enlightens the merging of pleasure, symbolic value and communicative tasks at place in the practice of adorning. The result comforts with sharp analyses and arguments the priority of the aesthetic attitude on any other such as the religious and moral ones. * Fabrizio Desideri, Professor of Aesthetics, Florence University, Italy *
[W]ritten from a scholarly perspective, with a clarity of writing and little academic jargon, the book can engage anyone interested in the subject. * The Journal of Dress History *
A great book and very easy to read ... It's highly accessible and easily understood despite the fact that [it deals] with some really complicated concepts. * New Books Network *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Illustrations Preface 1. The Sungir Children 2. What Adornment is 3. Bodily Adornment Practices 4. Aesthetics and Adornment in Prehistory 5. Differences Between Men and Women 6. Body-Painting and Makeup 7. Scarification and Tattoos 8. Piercings, Plugs and Jewelry 9. Clothing 10. Bali: Sungir Writ Large Conclusion Bibliography Index
