Global Civilization Studies
GCS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.149-153.
Print ISSN: 3106-0978; Online ISSN: 3106-0986
Journal homepage: https://www.gcsjournal.com
DOI： https://doi.org/10.64058/gcs260112itshr
The Itinerary of Things and the Silenced in History: A Review of Material Cultures of the Global Eighteenth Century: Art, Mobility and Change
Wang Dan
Abstract: Material Cultures of the Global Eighteenth Century employs the method of “object biography” to trace ten objects in global circulation during the eighteenth century. Through changes in function, form, and meaning, it reveals how material transformation is shaped by power relations, technical constraints, and cultural negotiation, while exposing the narrative dilemma of object-centred historiography. The book’s scholarly contribution lies in providing an operational “itinerary of things” for global history, and in opening up a new question: how might the traces of silenced makers be recovered from the traces of things.
Keywords: Global Eighteenth Century；Material Civilization；Material Culture
Author Biography: Wang, Dan, Doctoral candidate at Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Research interests: British and American Fiction and Cultural Studies. E-mail: 2541694426@qq.com。
题目：《物的行旅与历史中的沉默者-评〈全球十八世纪的物质文化:艺术、流动与变迁〉》
摘要：《全球十八世纪物质文化》以“物之传记”为方法，追踪十件物品在18世纪全球流动，通过功能、形态与意义三个递进层次，揭示了物的变迁如何受制于权力关系、技术条件与文化协商，并暴露了以物为中心的叙事困境。本书的学术价值在于为全球史提供了可操作的“物的路径”，同时开辟了如何从物的痕迹中寻回消隐之人的新问题域。
关键词：全球十八世纪；物文明；物质文化
作者简介：王丹，广东外语外贸大学英语语言文化学院博士研究生，研究方向：英美小说、文化研究。电子邮箱：2541694426@qq.com。
