Itemen

Itemen is a term used in speculative fiction and in discussions of material culture to denote a social group or class of agents whose lives are centered on items. In these contexts, itemen may be described as custodians of artifacts, artisans of memory, or participants in ritual economies where objects play central roles in identity and obligation. The concept functions as a thought experiment about how objects influence behavior, status, and power.

Etymology and scope: The word combines item with the suffix -en to suggest belonging or relation. It has appeared in modern world-building narratives and philosophical essays to signal a culture oriented toward material culture; its precise meaning varies by author. In practice, itemen are not a single, fixed category but a family of related ideas used to explore artifact agency.

Cultural features: Itemen typically organize labor around making, repairing, authenticating, and trading objects. Property, memory, provenance, and knowledge are mediated through artifacts, with rituals that codify possession and exchange. Scholarly usage often relates the concept to animism and to object-oriented ontology, illustrating how things can exert social influence without assuming human-like sentience.