Shanice Aga is a Khoja-American designer, and visual artist.
A trained architect and material culturalist,
Synopsis
New Materialisms, Post-Structuralism, Cultural Rituals, and Spontaneous Shrines, 2018
In “Introducing the New Materialisms” (2010), Diana Coole and Samantha Frost stress the importance of a re-examination of the “nature of matter,” emphasizing that traditional materialist theories (e.g., Marx, Descartes) are no longer sufficient for understanding contemporary society. The main reason for this inadequacy being; our contemporary understanding of what material is has shifted from our past more simplistic understanding of material due to “developments in the natural sciences as well as…transformations in the ways we currently produce, reproduce and consume our material environment.” Therefore, defining our contemporary understanding of material or “new materialisms” with these scientific advances in mind and understanding the potential roles this could have in analyzing “pressing ethical and political concerns” is critical as our “new conceptions of matter might reconfigure our models of society and the political” and allow us to reach new solutions and conclusions that were previously inhibited by the outdated conceptions of materialism. Three potential directions and areas of study that ideas about a new materialism – a more “dynamic way of conceptualizing matter” – are laid out in the essay. They are in the subjects of physical science, biological science, and social theory. Coole and Frost assert “it is no longer tenable to rely on the obsolete certainties of classical physics as earlier materialists did,” advances in “particle physics...(and) chaos and complexity theory…are undermining the idea of stable and predictable material substance, hastening a realization that our natural environment is far more complex, unstable, fragile, and interactive than earlier models allowed.” They suggest that by redefining materialism, we can reconfigure societal and political models, paving the way for new solutions to issues previously constrained by outdated frameworks.1
Bjornar Olsen’s Scenes from a Troubled Engagement: Post-structuralism and Material Culture Studies (2006) further explores the impact of post-structuralism on material culture, particularly through the concept of intertextuality. Olsen draws on Julia Kristeva’s notion of intertextuality to argue that every sign and text is interconnected, and that meaning is produced through the reader’s interpretation and engagement with past readings. This framework challenges the traditional view that an author alone dictates a text's meaning, highlighting the importance of the reader’s role in constructing meaning.2
In “Performative Commemoratives: Spontaneous Shrines and the Public Memorialization of Death" (2003), Salvatore Santino explores how spontaneous shrines—unofficial, unprompted memorials created by the people—serve as powerful forms of public commemoration. Santino highlights how these shrines, often adorned with personal tokens, not only memorialize the deceased but also serve as a platform for raising awareness about social issues. He focuses on how these memorials invite public participation and foster a dialogue about the societal factors contributing to death, thereby addressing larger political concerns. The performative aspect of spontaneous shrines allows individuals to engage with broader societal issues in a deeply personal way.3
In “El Dia de los Muertos in the USA: Cultural Ritual as Political Communication” (2006), Regina Marchi concisely explains the various ways in which the traditional, cultural and ritual observance of the Day of the Dead in South American and Latin cultures has been transformed in different contexts and become a “valuable resource through which marginalized populations can construct narratives of self-affirmation, solidarity, and political resistance.” Especially in the diverse context of the united states where unity can be built between indigenous peoples, and Latin Americans from varying cultural backgrounds and countries of origin “through personalizing public issues and infusing traditional rite with contemporary meanings,” the hybridizing, recontextualizing, and transformation of Day of the Dead activities and celebrations to achieve a unified goal of “draw(ing) attention to sociopolitical issues affecting” their communities and “inviting the public to reflect on the reality of oppressed populations.” Marchi asserts that “U.S Day of the Dead rituals frequently operate along a “moral economy” of social protest, encouraging moral reflection on issues of political importance and revealing dimensions of repression normally overlooked by the dominant culture.” “Moral economy” is a term Marchi borrows from Edward Thompson and uses to help readers understand “how activities considered obligatory in Latin America have become remarkably innovative forms of expression for practitioners in the United States.” Marchi explains that “Thompson argued that the moral economy exposes “confrontation in the marketplace over access (or entitlement) to necessities,” as “deeply rooted cultural traditions provide the moral force and physical infrastructure for critiquing dominant society.” This is a critical term in the understanding of how Day of the Dead rituals in the united states have been adapted to “stir moral reflection over unfair access” and how things like “violence, alcohol, drugs,” migration in pursuit of better quality of life, AIDS, gang violence, and suicide have disproportionately affected and caused the deaths of many in minority communities.4
Just as “new-materialism” is not anti “materialist-tradition” but rather a movement that does not “deny their rich materialist heritage” in which “theorists are compelled to rediscover older materialist traditions while pushing them in novel, and sometimes experimental, directions or toward fresh applications” and taking into account new scientific advances, “post-structuralism” is not “antithetical” but “share(s) several basic conceptions with it’s relational other.” In both cases a new generational understanding of a theory does not mean that everything old is to be discarded but that everything needs to be built on to remain relevant and helpful in application. There is an interesting parallel between these two articles and the Day of the Dead and spontaneous shrine articles as well, as they fit in with this idea of looking to and building on tradition but re-contextualizing it in contemporary public, socio-political issues. Such as taking deep rooted cultural traditions or deeply personal items and letters to the public to make a profound statement about the material cultures, environments, and effects certain politics and actions have on our communities.
I found an interesting connection between the below passage in Santino’s article:
“It is said that in war a combatant is trained to depersonalize the enemy, to demonize the enemy in order to be able to kill that enemy with little or no remorse. Spontaneous shrines act in the opposite way…”3
and the passage in Marchi’s writing that speaks of a 1998 “Day of the Dead candlelight vigil” that “protested the rising number of gang related deaths in Los Angeles.” “…The vigil included photos and shrines honoring slain gang members.” Due the personalization of the shrine that Santino speaks of, that is “opposite” to the “demoniz(ation)” of the “enemy” taught to war combatants and likely gang members, this vigil was “followed by a weekend of lengthy negotiations that resulted in the signing of a truce between warring Culver City and Santa Monica gangs.”
Another connection is made in how both spontaneous shrines and day of the dead altars and activities are “local manifestations of a global problem” that “demand” something be done, changed or that those accountable reflect on the consequences and loss of real people due to their politics or actions. They both, as Marchi states, “draw attention the deaths, but simultaneously force the public to consider the sociopolitical reason for them, while demanding the state and federal government address the problem.” Or as Santino puts it “spontaneous shrines are silent witnesses.”
EXTEND
How do personal items and cultural rituals, once confined to private spaces of mourning, challenge our evolving understanding of materialism as complex and intangible when brought into the public sphere? These readings raise important questions about the shift of such rituals from private mourning to public political statements. They also underscore the potential dangers of public visibility, such as exposing communities to hate crimes, cultural appropriation, and misrepresentation, along with the risk of losing control over their narratives. However, bringing these practices into the open could also foster greater understanding. As a Muslim of a more unknown minority sect even within the Muslim community, I believe that my culture’s privacy has contributed to widespread misunderstanding in the U.S., leading to dehumanization. This has allowed for violence against us to occur without question...
I’m also left wondering how this plays out in the digital space—like...digital shrines? And, I have so many thoughts about signs, intertextuality, and "bringing texts together," but instead of texts, we’re now merging posts, music clips, photos, videos, and everything else we scroll through before landing on the one thing that catches our attention. Can we, with intentionality and purpose, use the digital and social realm to unite people and address real issues, or does it just become another broadcast for us to consume, leading to more dehumanization, desensitization, and apathy? There’s almost no private sphere left; everything is at our fingertips, and everyone shares everything—so it’s all of it: intimate, public, curated, planned, fake, real. Every type of person, experiencing every type of emotion, on display for the world to watch. We feel overwhelmed, yet often powerless, unsure of what to do. So, in this context, does it even hold meaning anymore?
2 “Scenes from a Troubled Engagement: Post-structuralism and Material Culture Studies,” 2006, Bjornar Olsen
3 “Performative Commemoratives: Spontaneous Shrines and the Public Memorialization of Death,” Salvatore Santino, 2003
4 “El Dia de los Muertos in the USA: Cultural Ritual as Political Communication,” Regina Marchi, 2006