Refrangible

Childhood Toys and Our Connections to the Past

Whether it’s an alien-fighting space robot or a cherished family heirloom, we all have a special place in our heart for our favorite childhood toys. In this episode of Re

Domestic Classrooms: The Intersection of Home and School

From a practice cottage to a home management house, UW-Madison has a long history of live-in learning experiences. In this episode of Refrangible, we examine the universi

Troubling Objects and the Illusion of Luxury

In this episode, we examine how luxury home goods in southern plantation houses obscured the true ugliness running just under the surface.

Home Sweet Home

In this episode, we examine what defines a “home” — and what happens when it’s taken away.

Uncomfortable Objects: Art and Death

Think about an object that makes you uncomfortable. Now, ask yourself: Why do you tend to side-eye that particular thing?    In this episode of Refrangible, we’re talki

Commodifying Culture

In episode one of this season, we touched briefly on the idea of appropriating – or perhaps, more accurately, commodifying – culture. Who really gets to reap the rewards,

Clothing and Identity: Revisiting our past, one stitch at a time

In our first episode of season two, we posed a question: Who wears what, and why? We wanted to explore why folks dress the way they do, and what happens when a third part

Clothing and Identity: Who wears what, and why?

How do you choose what to wear each day? Is it a matter of practicality, social expectations, or cultural identity? Or have you just been putting off doing the laundry, a

Our Bodies and the Lessons They Teach Us

Over the past three episodes, we’ve explored the idea of material culture through a series of inanimate objects. For our final episode of season one, we wanted to take a

Sewing and the Art of Necessity

Textile creation has long been an art of necessity, as makers mended and created clothing and often used remnants of fabric to make quilts. But gradually, the creation of

Maypoles and Our Shifting Reality

For many European cultures, the Maypole symbolizes the dawning of spring. It alongside the annual May Day festival, marks the end of winter, a time of cold, darkness and

The Home Front

During World War II, through tight control of the media, economy and social messaging -- the U.S. Government was able to instill in the American people a sense of collect

What is Material Culture?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines material culture as "the totality of physical objects made by a people for the satisfaction of their needs, especially : those arti