Beschreibung
Collecting is a matter of authenticity, of creating
new identities, both of the objects collected and,
by extension, of the collector. Passion and Profit
provides a range of ethnographic examples, both
historical and contemporary, and also includes a
selective analysis and personal evaluation of the
increasingly rich and varied literature on
collecting. The collectibles discussed in Passion
and Profit are not only elitist cultural objects such
as works of art (ancient, modern or tribal), antiques
and books, but also non-elitist objects such as
stamps, postcards, plants, and other mass-
produced items. The central research question is:
What is the cultural phenomenon of collecting all
about? Or, more specifically: What moves
collectors? In addressing this question, this book
aims to be a substantial contribution to the
collecting literature from an anthropological point
of view.
Paul van der Grijp is Professor of
Anthropology at the University of Science and Technology
in Lille, France, and participates in the (CLERSÉ) research
program on Culture, Patrimony and Memory. He also is a
member of the Research and Documentation Center on
Oceania (Maison Asie Pacifique) in Marseilles. His previous
books include Islanders of the South (1993) and Identity
and Development (2004) published in the Netherlands.
