'Myself and My Things: An Exploration of Self Through Objects'

‘Myself and My Things: An Exploration of Self Through Objects’ combines theories of anthropology, sociology, object oriented ontology and psychoanalysis to question what roles objects play in our emotional reception and understanding of human relationships. By considering objects as agent subjects this thesis analyses how they influence our sociality and how reframing object agency theory within an emotional context can help us understand ourselves and our connection to memory. In this, it addresses the entangled nature of our identities and personhood with our surroundings, recognising objects as vessels of self, representations of pasts (using anthropologist Alfred Gell’s concept of ‘exuviae’) and encapsulated souls (metonyms of others). With its subjects ranging from dining tables to windowsills, from gifts to a beloved vacuum cleaner, the thesis uncovers how objects partake in our processing of pasts, memories, loss, and change.

Design: Jelle Krug
Proofreading: Annette Stevenhagen
Printing: Drukkerij Kaboem

(Masters thesis completed in 2022)
​

Preview below: For more information or closer reading please email me at emilystevenhagen@gmail.com

Physical copy sample photos: