An Archaeology of the Immaterial : Routledge : 9780415840507 : 0415840503 : 11 Sep 2015 : "An Archaeology of the Immaterial examines a highly significant but poorly understood aspect of material culture studies: the active rejection of the material world. This is evident in a number of cultural projects, including anti-consumerism and asceticism, as well as other attempts to transcend material circumstances. Exploring the cultural work which can be done when the material is rejected, and the social effects of these 'dematerialisations', this book looks at the way people 'disengage' from the world as a specific kind of physical engagement which has profound implications for our understanding of personhood and materiality. Using case studies which range widely in time over Western societies and the technologies of materialising the immaterial, from icons to the scanning tunnelling microscope, Buchli addresses the significance of immateriality for our own economics, cultural perceptions,