Description:
Material Worlds examines consumption from an archaeological perspective, exploring the intersection of social relations and objects through the processes of production, distribution, use, reuse, and discard. Key themes of this innovative volume include the relationship between colonial, political and economic structures and the practices of consumption, the use of consumer goods in the construction and negotiation of identity, and the dialectic between strategies of consumption and individual or community choices. With a focus on North America from the 17th through the early 20th centuries, the book situates studies of consumerism within the field of historical archaeology