artefactcentered

Artefactcentered is a term used in archaeology, anthropology, and material culture studies to describe a research orientation that places artifacts at the heart of analysis. It treats objects not merely as evidence of human behavior but as active participants in social processes, capable of shaping practices, decisions, and knowledge production. The approach foregrounds the production, circulation, use, and disposal of material things within their contextual networks, and it seeks to reconstruct the life cycles and sociomaterial relationships in which artifacts participate.

Principles and methods. Artefactcentered research emphasizes the material trace of human activity, adopting object-centered theories and, often, principles associated with material culture studies and posthumanist thought. Analysts examine artifact biographies—from creation to disposal—considering production techniques, wear patterns, residues, and symbolic meanings. The method blends traditional typology with technological analysis, use-wear and residue studies, archaeometallurgy, and chaîne opératoire (the sequence of production steps), together with modern tools such as 3D scanning and digital archiving. Interpretations integrate contextual data from field notes and landscapes with artifact-centric insights to reveal networks of exchange, labor, and social actors.

Applications and critiques. Artefactcentered approaches are widely used in excavations, museum curation, and digital humanities projects to understand material culture's role in social life. Critics warn that excessive focus on objects can downplay human agency, institutions, and structural factors; proponents argue that a balanced, theory-informed object focus complements other perspectives. The approach shares affinities with object biography, materiality studies, and posthumanist sociology, and it often operates alongside traditional artifact-centric and context-first frameworks.