What to Do with All this "Stuff'? Memory, Family, and Material Objects

Abstract:This article explores the meaning of objects in making families and memories from the perspective of two sisters, now in our 50s. We show and tell a story of sorting through "stuff collected by our mother's and father's families in the United States from the nineteenth century to the present. We tell the story using seven objects we selected during the sorting process. Photographs of the objects are included in the text. In written dialogue with each other about each object, we reflect on the process of sorting, how our different experiences in the family shaped the sorting process, and how it gave new meanings to our relationship as daughters and sisters.