Commodities, Consumerism & Industrialisation

 

This lecture was about:

 

Consumption and Consumerism

Consumerism has become one of the organising principles of modern life, of modernity. Consumerism was a cause and not a product of industrialisation. In the modern world the ultimate test of the viability of regimes rests on their capacity to, in the literal sense, 'deliver the goods'. Consumerism is a way of life. It only emerges when the scale of consumption reaches a sufficient level that it becomes a defining part of life for a significant section of a population. The interlocking social institutions of consumerism:

 

Emergence of consumerism in early modern world.

Consumerism emerges during the early modern period, between the 16th and 18th centuries. Founded on both demographic revolution and global trade. By the 18th century consumerism was flourishing in the most urbanized centres across Eurasia and in North America: parts of Britain, France, the Low Countries, in parts of Germany and Italy, in the Tokyo-Osaka belt in central Japan, in the Yangzi (Yangtse) delta in China, in the urban centres of the Gangetic plain in South Asia, and in some of the urban centres of the British colonies in North America. Consumerism is built on material culture, thus we can see evidence of the emergence of consumerism in the histories of quite a number of different commodities. These can be grouped into a number of areas:

 

Consumerism & Industrialisation

The rise in demand associated with consumerism drove forward technological innovation and new forms of production. Industrialisation grows out of consumerism. Consumerism led to an industrious revolution. The rising demand for consumer goods stimulated market expansion, and people began to work harder. They became more industrious, as they became more willing to trade leisure for money. Luxury goods become available to larger sections of the population. The 'drug foods' (sugar, tea, coffee & tobacco) become the focus of consumption. They also help in the creation of new work habits. Why did the industrial revolution only occur in Europe, and in England, in particular?

 

Entrenchment of Consumerism in Modernity

Industrial production accelerated consumerism. Thus, by the 19th century it was in the industrialising regions of Europe that we see the greatest intensification of consumerism. The range of goods available increased, and mass press advertising became ubiquitous. New consumer goods were increasingly democratized, and increasingly incorporated children. Consumerist values became part of socialisation. Individual worth and social value increasingly defined in term of purchasing power and material possessions. 'In our societies, fashion is in the driver's seat.' Gilles Lipovetsky, The Empire of Fashion: Dressing Modern Democracy (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994), 6.