ritualistic-archival-engagement
Dean’s careful, almost ceremonial handling of the files and photographs underscores the reverence and distance involved in engaging with historical labor records.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Making of Incarnation (2023)Tom McCarthy
In this chapter, Monica Dean examines archival photographs and documents from the Institute for Industrial Psychology, depicting women and men engaged in various industrial and agricultural labor from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The images and captions reveal the mechanization of work, the regimented and impersonal nature of labor, and the subtle human traces within these industrial processes, while Dean reflects on the ritualistic handling of these historical artifacts and the emotional distance they evoke. The chapter explores the tension between human presence and mechanized control, as well as the transformation of workers into components within larger industrial systems.