The Material and the Social

Author(s)

Gabriele Weichart, Karl Markus Valent

Abstract

This paper presents two case studies in Indonesia where the traditional vernacular architecture is in the process of being transformed, adapted and often substituted by modern building styles. Many of these architectural transformations are closely related to sociocultural, economic and environmental changes in the regions. Furthermore, natural disasters and subsequent reconstruction measures have had a great impact on building developments. While the paper describes some of the main changes in form and material of houses in rural areas, it also offers explanations from an anthropological perspective and highlights the connection between architecture, society and culture. The authors argue that the socially constructed division between the material and the immaterial is no longer valid. In order to gain a thor- ough understanding of the complexities involved in social and material processes, anthropologists and architects need to work in close cooperation and in interdisciplinary research projects.

Organisation(s)

Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Journal

Journal of Comparative Cultural Studies in Architecture

Volume

10

Pages

6-14

No. of pages

9

ISSN

1865-8806

Publication date

2017

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

504008 Ethnography, 504017 Cultural anthropology

Keywords

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/the-material-and-the-social(1a154916-e544-4894-a6d3-cd555a0ab6d5).html