Late twentieth-century social and cultural research was heavily impacted by what became known as the linguistic or textual turn. Well into a new millennium we have for some time now with equal conviction and enthusiasm been told about another twist: the (re)turn to things. This chapter critically examines this repatriation campaign and discusses some of the causes for the previous neglect of things in the social sciences. The main objective, however, is to explore some key aspects of what things are in their own material constituency and how these essential thing affordances are crucial for understanding social stability and change.