Objects, Repersonalization, Rememory

This weeks articles talk a great deal about the nostalgic and collective nature of objects that people use on a day-to-day basis.  We surround ourselves with objects and prescribe importance and meaning to them, and we tend to position ourselves with the objects so that we can re-establish and re-define some sort of origin.  One of the authors, Parkins, talks about the movement of immigrants and displacement of people and the way these groups are able to use objects as mediums of recollection through their immediate practical use, and for the nostalgic purposes they can serve.  We use objects through transitional periods that can later allow us to personalize with the prescribed meaning they are to serve.  I think that much of what Parkins and all the others were talking about was greatly focused on during the earlier DTS classes, and can be repetitive in what they are trying to prove.  We know that transitional objects serve as important agents of establishing connections and create a yearning, as well as providing a way for people to think about their origins in a realm that is separated from just practicality.  I find that experiences and everything else that is representative of the homeland is processed in the mind, with the object taking up a tangible role.  This tangibility creates the memory, recollection, re-establishment, and serves as reminders of what ‘once was’ individually to each person.  We find something so simple as a recipe book, reminding many people of the experiences and nature of relative’s lives around the Holocaust.  This is a stark example of how these objects have a practical purpose, and is able to give people thought processes into the lives of their relatives and homeland experiences at the same time. 

We also learn about people being forced to leave their homes under pressure and in a short amount of time.  I think this also has significance because the very action of picking items over another, and taking them through movements create importance of that object because of how it was chosen in such short notice and pressure.   One would associate the pressure and even the forceful nature of choosing objects to bring along as the important aspect of the object itself.  I think all the authors, even from the previous readings, explore objects and their meanings from different points of view that address the way people perceive their objects.  This brings to light the various ways in which people PLACE importance in the object first, where memories and repersonalization may follow.  

(1) How do you think people should deal with objects that provide negative memories and recollections?  For example: a ring that belongs to a deceased relative can bring bad memories and thoughts of past experiences.

(Just one question this week)