ABSTRACT
Things are our constant companions; they are all around us. One can perceive their color, form, weight, surface, and texture with all senses—one can look at them, touch or weigh them, and sometimes hear, taste, or smell them. We usually see them in terms of what they can do for us and how they affect us. We are dependent on things. This is not only true for everyday life, but also for numerous modes of historical enquiry, such as practices of reenactment. In this sense, doing history is always connected to things and our relationship to them.
