Abstract
Looks at a trend that emerged in British and American humanities during the late 1990's, which was described as the turn toward the study of material things. This turn, exemplified by philosopher of science Bruno Latour, marked a shift toward nonanthropocentric history, in which objects are afforded agency, are not treated as passive subjects, and are considered legitimate members of the human and nonhuman community, albeit without intention or consciousness. The article considers texts by Igor Kopytoff, Cornelius Holtorf, and British archaeologist Andrew Jones as examples of the trend.