
The Spirit of Matter
Modernity, Religion, and the Power of Objects
Peter Pels(Author)
Methodology & History in Anthropology (Publisher)
Published on 15. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
388 pages
978-1-83695-691-4 (ISBN)
Description
A range of meaningful objects-exhibits of human remains or live people, fetishes, objects in a Catholic Museum, exotic photographs, commodities, and computers-demonstrate a subordinate modern consciousness about powerful objects and their "life". The Spirit of Matter discusses these objects that move people emotionally but whose existence is often denied by modern wishful thinking of "mind over matter".
More details
Series
Language
English
Publishing group
Berghahn Books
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
561 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83695-691-4 (9781836956914)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2023
1st Edition
Berghahn Books
€22.49
Available for download

E-Book
07/2023
1st Edition
Berghahn Books
€22.49
Available for download
Person
Peter Pels is a Professor of Anthropology of Africa at the University of Leiden. He edited the journal Social Anthropology (2003-2007) and advised the Çatalhöyük excavation project led by Ian Hodder (2005-14). His most recent publication is Museum Temporalities: Time, History and the Future of the Ethnographic Museum (Routledge, 2023) which is co-edited with Wayne Modest.