Faculty Publications

An Exegesis Of The Curation Concept

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Journal of Anthropological Research

Volume

52

Issue

3

First Page

259

Last Page

279

Abstract

The concept of "curation" has enjoyed wide use but also has received sharp criticism in the past two decades. Ambiguity in original sources permits curation to signify variously the implications and consequences of one practice and the relationship that underlies it. As a result, curation means too many different things. A new definition involving utility extracted follows from the view that curation is a continuous, not nominal, variable and that it is a property of tools, not of entire assemblages or industries. So understood, the ambiguity and contested meanings plaguing the term may disappear.

Department

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Original Publication Date

1-1-1996

DOI of published version

10.1086/jar.52.3.3630085

Link to Full Text

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