Objects and Agency: An Ethnographic Research on University Teachers

Abstract

Based on qualitative research, this study examines university teachers’ favorite objects in order to understand the roles of those objects in their lives- how they give meanings to objects which are kept by them for a long time, why they keep objects which are not in use. Data were gathered through personal narratives by interview and case studies on favorite objects of twenty faculty members – ten female and ten male of different age groups and designations living on campus and off campus. The findings of this research reveal the relationship between university teachers and their favorite objects. Although, same types of objects are not favorite to all participants, all are attached to the objects in a common way as ‘memory bearing agents’. Favorite objects of possession are photographs, things used by deceased parents, gold wedding rings, gifts with archaeological values, objects redeeming childhood memories, things acquired by inheritance, and things in collection. These objects are playing roles in the participants’ life as objects containing agency, objects of affection having psychological effects, biographical things and things as social actors which are interconnected with more than one memory. This research provides valuable insights of the role of favorite objects and the relationship between those objects and the owners. From the perspective of material culture approach, this research explores Chittagong University teachers’ favorite objects and how these work as agency.