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Richard R. Wilk
16quotes
Richard R. Wilk
Full Name and Common Aliases
Richard Randall Wilk is a well-known American anthropologist with a focus on material culture.
Birth and Death Dates
Born in 1951, there is limited information available about his birthdate. There is no public record of his death date.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Wilk holds American nationality and has worked primarily as an anthropologist with a specialization in material culture.
Early Life and Background
Richard Wilk's academic background began at the University of Chicago, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Anthropology. He went on to receive his Master's degree from the same institution before pursuing his Ph.D. in Material Culture from Yale University. His experiences studying anthropology have significantly influenced his perspectives on culture.
Major Accomplishments
Richard Wilk has made substantial contributions to the field of material culture through his work and research. One of his notable accomplishments is the concept of "discard studies," which examines how societies handle waste and discarded materials. This line of inquiry offers insights into societal values, economic systems, and environmental concerns.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Richard Wilk's most significant works include:
Household Ecology: A Comparative Study of Domestic Material Strategies (1983): In this book, Wilk examines household strategies in a Yucatecan village. His research sheds light on how households manage waste and material resources.
The Household Economy: Reconsidering the Domestic Mode of Production (ed., 1991): This edited volume explores the concept of domestic mode of production and its implications for understanding economic systems.
Impact and Legacy
Richard Wilk's work has had a lasting impact on anthropology, particularly in the area of material culture. His contributions have encouraged researchers to view waste management and household strategies as essential components of cultural analysis. His concepts have also been applied in broader discussions about consumption, sustainability, and environmental issues.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Richard Wilk is widely quoted and remembered due to his innovative approach to understanding material culture. His emphasis on the significance of everyday practices, waste management, and household strategies has significantly expanded our comprehension of cultural systems. Additionally, his ability to bridge theoretical concepts with practical applications has made his work particularly relevant in contemporary discussions about sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Quotes by Richard R. Wilk
Richard R. Wilk's insights on:

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As geographic place lost its power to guarantee quality, modern corporate brands began to appear, at first linked to the personal names of the manufacturers, who thereby offered their reputation, their face as it were, to establish a bond of trust with consumers.

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I find it fascinating that this bottle is so cosmopolitan, a true multicultural brew, but it is so quiet about it.

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The inevitable result of any search for authenticity is that you always end up with something completely modern in intent, since the purpose of the performance lies in the present, not the past.

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Or could it be that there is something about globalisation itself that produces local culture, and promotes the constant formation of new forms of local identity, dress, cuisine, music, dance and language?

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Globalisation creates a world where causes are remote form effects, and the connections between them are often hidden or obscure.

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The world becomes a pageant of diversity with its differences neatly organised and selected.

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How old does a recipe have to be in order to be traditional? What should we think when an old industrial food like salted (corned) beef or pickled herring becomes a part of “traditional” ethnic cuisine?

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But instead of being frozen in time, I want to show that “local” and “authentic” food are as much creations of modernity as survivors from before it. Authenticity is therefore a problem, not something we can ever depend on as some kind of naturally occurring category. Tradition is crafted, just as much as modernity is manufactured.


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People want to think of a food tradition as something that would continue unchanging and timeless, unless some outside force knocked things askew.
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