Apotropaic Designs. An Essay of Symmetrical Anthropology.

Abstract

Modernity is a historical period marked by the economic, political and cultural hegemony of western civilization. In this context, the confrontation with  the  otherness  and  valuation  of  one's  own  andother  people's  material culture has been affected by the establishment of asymmetric relationships. We question in this article the purist dogmatism that promotes denigration of  the  ornament  after  the  proclamation  of  its  uselessness.  The  decorative patterns that extend through the wall hangings, furniture, books or fabrics, have  been  linked,  over  time  and  in  different  geographical  areas,  with apotropaic effects. Despite the protection, warning, deterrence or fascination functions  that  these  devices  seem  tohave  performed,  their  use  has  just become a sign of cultural inferiority.