ABSTRACT
The objects of war are visceral embodiments of the life and death experiences endured by all who are caught up in the fury of conflict. From shell fragments to ruined villages, from devastated landscapes to memorabilia, artefacts large and small are invested with variable meanings by different individuals and groups. These meanings are transformed by time and by generations, reconfiguring themselves as fields of memory, heritage attractions, memory objects, museum exhibits and collectables. The social life of portable objects in particular does not end with the closing of war, but extends beyond it to intersect the lives of future generations.
