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A cultural artifact, or cultural artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology,
A cultural artifact, or cultural artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology
Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...
and sociology for anything created by human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...
s which gives information about the culture of its creator and users. ''Artifact'' is the spelling in North American English; ''artefact'' is usually preferred elsewhere.
Cultural artifact is a more generic term and should be considered with two words of similar, but narrower, nuance: it can include objects recovered from archaeological sites, i.e. archaeological artifacts
An artifact, or artefact (see American and British English spelling differences), is a general term for an item made or given shape by humans, such as a tool or a work of art, especially an object of archaeological interest. In archaeology, the ...
, but can also include objects of modern or early-modern society, or social artifacts. For example, in an anthropological context: a 17th-century lathe, a piece of faience, or a television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
each provides a wealth of information about the time in which they were manufactured and used.
Cultural artifacts, whether ancient or current, have a significance because they offer an insight into: technological processes, economic development and social structure, among other attributes.
Classification
The philosopher Marx W. Wartofsky categorised artifacts as follows:Wartofsky, Marx W. (1979). Models: Representation and scientific understanding. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Reidel. * primary artifacts: used in production (such as a hammer, a fork, a lamp or a camera); * secondary artifacts: relating to primary artifacts (such as a user-manual for a camera); * tertiary artifacts: representations of secondary artifacts (such as a picture of a user-manual for a camera). Social artifacts, unlike archaeological artifacts, do not need to have a physical form (for examplevirtual artifact
A virtual artifact (VA) is an immaterial object that exists in the human mind or in a digital environment, for example the Internet, intranet, virtual reality, cyberspace, etc.
Background
The term "virtual artifact" has been used in a variety of ...
), nor to be of historical value (items created seconds ago can be classified as social artifacts).
See also
* Art object *Cultural expressions Cultural expressions are creative manifestations of the cultural identities of their authors. They are treated in the international legal system in terms of cultural rights, intellectual property law and international trade.
Definition
The obje ...
* Cultural heritage
* Cultural icon
A cultural icon is a person or an artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen as an authentic ...
* Cultural property
* Biofact
* Meme
* Mentifact
References
Further reading
* Habib, Laurence, and Line Wittek (2007). The portfolio as artifact and actor. ''Mind, Culture and Activity'', Vol. 14, No. 4, .External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cultural Artifact Anthropology Museology Artifact Artifact