The Consumer Revolution, 1650–1800 (New Approaches to European History, Series Number 63)

"The production, acquisition, and use of consumer goods defines our daily lives, and yet consumerism is seen as increasingly controversial. Movements for sustainable and ethical consumerism are gaining momentum alongside an awareness of how our choices in the marketplace can affect public issues. How did we get here? The Consumer Revolution, 1650-1800 advances a bold new interpretation of the "consumer revolution" of the eighteenth century, when European elites, middling classes, and even certain laborers purchased unprecedented quantities of clothing, household goods, and colonial products. Michael Kwass adopts a global perspective that incorporates the expansion of European empires, the development of world trade, and the rise of plantation slavery in the Americas. Kwass analyses the emergence of Enlightenment material cultures, contentious philosophical debates on the morality of consumption, and new forms of consumer activism to offer a fresh interpretation of the politics of consumption in the age of abolitionism and the Atlantic Revolutions"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series information 4 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 List of Abbreviations 13 Introduction 15 Histories of Consumption 18 1 Consumer Revolution 30 The Growth of Consumption 31 Consumer Revolution or Evolution? 46 2 The Globalization of European Consumption 60 Incremental Change 61 Global Trade 64 Import Substitution 83 Modern Materiality 85 3 Going Shopping 89 Retail Revolution? 89 Advertising 103 Producer-Consumer Dialogue 108 4 The Cultural Meanings of Consumption 113 Social Emulation? 113 The Meaning of Consumption 118 Novelty and Fashion 119 Individuation, Selfhood, and Domesticity 123 Comfort, Convenience, Pleasure 127 Nature, Simplicity, Authenticity 130 Cleanliness, Health, Hygiene 133 Exoticism 136 Piety 140 Modernity and Social Order 142 5 Consuming Enlightenment 147 Books: A Special Sort of Consumer Good? 148 Sociability 159 6 The Luxury Debate 172 7 The Politics of Consumption in the Age of Revolution 194 The Political Economy of Empire: States, Markets, and Consumer Activism 197 The Creation of Revolutionary Republican Cultures 211 Slavery and Abolition 218 Conclusion 225 New Directions 232 Select Bibliography 239 General 239 Introduction 240 Chapter 1 240 Chapter 2 242 Chapter 3 245 Chapter 4 248 Chapter 5 249 Chapter 6 251 Chapter 7 252 Conclusion 255 Index 257 The production, acquisition, and use of consumer goods defines our daily lives, and yet consumerism is seen as increasingly controversial. Movements for sustainable and ethical consumerism are gaining momentum alongside an awareness of how our choices in the marketplace can affect public issues. How did we get here? This volume advances a bold new interpretation of the 'consumer revolution' of the eighteenth century, when European elites, middling classes, and even certain labourers purchased unprecedented quantities of clothing, household goods, and colonial products. Michael Kwass adopts a global perspective that incorporates the expansion of European empires, the development of world trade, and the rise of plantation slavery in the Americas. Kwass analyses the emergence of Enlightenment material cultures, contentious philosophical debates on the morality of consumption, and new forms of consumer activism to offer a fresh interpretation of the politics of consumption in the age of abolitionism and the Atlantic Revolutions.