Ciaran Trace

Ciaran Trace holds a B.A. Joint Honors Degree and a Diploma in Archival Studies from University College Dublin and a PhD in Library and Information Science from UCLA. Her current area of research intersects with what can be broadly termed the "social study of everyday life" and what Riggins (1994) calls "the socialness of things." As part of the study of material culture, her research examines the relationship and intersection of people and objects in everyday society. Taking a democratic or egalitarian research stance, her primary interest is in studying objects that form a pervasive and often overlooked part of our day-to-day lives. In looking at the relationship and interaction between objects and people she focuses on the meaning that objects have for individuals, as well as the role that objects play in negotiating and representing broader social relationships. She is also interested in the skills, expertise, and knowledge of objects that people must learn and demonstrate in order to be recognized as members of particular communities. Part of her interest in material culture and the social study of everyday life lies in making the familiar strange, turning the spot light on seemingly unprepossessing objects and activities and by doing so showing them in a new light. She is also interested in figuring out how people make the most of life, how people negotiate local situations, and what we all share in common to make this happen. Her interest in material culture extends from two-dimensional textual artifacts (particularly those records or documents that people create in the ordinary course of activity whether at work, school, or as part of their personal lives) to collections of three-dimensional artifacts that have significance as pop culture items.