Eleanor’s Reviews > Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the 15th Century to the 21st > Status Update

Covered lots of ground last night. Part 2 deals with present-day consumption issues, using historical examples to contextualise: the current chapter is on fair-trade movements. Interestingly, Trentmann's analysis of the effects of state spending merely glances at contemporary austerity policies. He implies they only really affect the already-poor and disadvantaged, which is demonstrably untrue, at least in the UK.

So far, I'm impressed by Trentmann's scope: he deals with consumerism in Ming China and in East African kingdoms, as well as in Britain, France, the Netherlands, etc. (There were big differences. Ming elites wanted antiques with provenance, not the new and shiny.) The focus of any given section is often unclear, though I'm willing to believe that this is the fault of a reader unaccustomed to reading economic history.