In Defense of Things: Archaeology and the Ontology of Objects

Much recent theoretical discourse in archaeology is focused on active, relational objects conceived as entanglements, assemblages, and bundles of things. In Defense of Things is a timely, highly readable explication of the ideas and philosophy behind this turn towards object ontologies. Social scientists and particularly archaeologists interested in materiality studies could not ask for a more lucid introduction to the issues in play. Olsen’s central thesis is echoed in recent works by Nicole Boivin, Ian Hodder, Chris Webmoor and Tim Witmore, and Carl Knappett and Lambros Malafouris, among others. Inspired by Merleau-Ponty as well as by Latour, Olsen argues that it is time for social scientists to transcend the material/ideal split that is the heritage of Cartesian philosophy, and to give things their proper due as central to human existence. His self-avowed ‘bricolage’ approach to the topic contains very clear, concise discussions of key literature and ideas, thankfully without the hubristic language that distracts from the writings of some of his colleagues. In eight chapters, Olsen reviews the major theoretical and philosophical developments that could contribute to a ‘nonanthropocentric’ archaeology. The central theme of the book is that archaeological studies, while purporting to engage with objects, in fact have continued to treat the material world as a means towards accessing the ideal. In this brief review, I cannot hope to do justice to all of the complex ideas and threads in Olsen’s book; I offer a short synopsis below, followed by a few points of critique.