Moving Objects: Emotional Transformation, Tangibility, and Time-Travel

The final chapter explores ideas of movement and the act of being moved in relation to materiality and history, in order to reflect on potential future directions of emotions and material culture as a field. From imaginative and supernatural movement, physical and temporal movement, to psychological and physiological movement, it considers the roles of a range of objects—both real and imagined—in constructing feelings and identities for individuals, families, communities, and nations. The chapter presents objects as time travellers, exploring how their emotional meanings are created in and across time periods, and asking when these meanings might come to an end.