Artifactification

Abstract

This article theorizes “artifactification,” the process through which museums transform mundane objects into noteworthy artifacts that materialize historical narratives. Drawing on John Searle’s theory of Status Functions, it argues that historical artifacts emerge from collective agreement structured by institutional rules, making museums semiotic mechanisms linking objects to history. Case studies of the Parthenon Marbles, the French Crown Jewels, and missing Chinese Canadian military artifacts illustrate how museums confer or deny the “artifact” status and the consequences of disrupted artifactification.