The terms reuse, recycle, and repurpose—although ever-present exhortations in the face of the contemporary global ecological crisis—are not merely modern concepts and concerns. These material reclamations and techniques were deployed in times of scarcity and in moments of artistic inspiration; they occurred at the juncture of transcultural exchange and as a result of sociopolitical and religious impetus among other reasons. Guest edited by Halle O’Neal, volume 52 of Ars Orientalis focuses on these ideas in Japanese material culture and the meaning of the transformations. The articles examine not only critical moments in the life cycle of particular objects, but they also provide insight into their evolving function and importance throughout history.
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Ars Orientalis 52: Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose: The Afterlives of Japanese Material Culture
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Ars Orientalis Back Issues
Thanks to a digitization effort made possible with help from Smithsonian Libraries and the Internet Archive, we can now offer Ars Orientalis volumes 1 to 41, and its predecessor Ars Islamica volumes 1-16 free of charge to viewers worldwide (read about the journal’s history here). Flip through these pages online, or download files to your digital library for later reading. Titles followed by an asterisk (*) are out of stock in their print editions, but available digitally.
