The Social Object: Apprehending Materiality for Industrial Design Practice
Intellect Books, 2025
Cloth: 978-1-83595-061-6
Cloth: 978-1-83595-061-6
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
A study of objects and domestic spaces of middle-class India.
Drawing on the methods of design history, material culture studies, and the social construction of technology, this book analyzes the domestic spaces and objects in the homes of the middle class in India, describing how people make meaning of the objects they buy, own, and gift.
Soumitri Varadarajan argues against a simplistic universal account of the way we think about how objects are designed. Instead, he presents a biography of projects and objects, offering a detailed and affectionate account of the lives of objects within the homes of the not-so-rich.
Drawing on the methods of design history, material culture studies, and the social construction of technology, this book analyzes the domestic spaces and objects in the homes of the middle class in India, describing how people make meaning of the objects they buy, own, and gift.
Soumitri Varadarajan argues against a simplistic universal account of the way we think about how objects are designed. Instead, he presents a biography of projects and objects, offering a detailed and affectionate account of the lives of objects within the homes of the not-so-rich.
