About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated

ISBN-100199589577

ISBN-139780199589579

eBay Product ID (ePID)99585586

Product Key Features

Number of Pages352 Pages

Publication NameMaterial Nation : a Consumer's History of Modern Italy

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2011

SubjectConsumer Behavior, Economic Conditions, General, Economics / General

TypeTextbook

Subject AreaBusiness & Economics, History

AuthorEmanuela Scarpellini

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight24.4 Oz

Item Length9.4 in

Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

Dewey Edition22

ReviewsScarpellini's book is always full of flavour...the book is rather like a good Italian meal. It has solid detail to act as starch for the mind's most sober needs. But present, too, are enough regalini to leave a reader pleasurably tingling at the rich and nourishing fare that Scarpellini lays before us., An absorbing story of how Italy evolved from a fragmented peninsula characterised by poverty and a primeval, gnawing hunger to a country of material abundance and brand names known the world over., "Material Nation nonetheless gives readers a fresh perspective on this endlessly fascinating country."--Andrew Moravcsik, Foreign Affairs

Dewey Decimal339.470945

Table Of ContentPrefacePart I: Liberal Italy1. Italian Society from Unification to the Belle Époque2. The State and Public Consumption3. The World of Production4. Commercial SpacesPart II: Fascism5. The Regime6. Daily Life Under FascismPart III: The Economic Miracle7. Society During the Golden Age of Capitalism8. Politics, Culture, and Welfare State9. Advertising and Production10. Large-scale Distribution and 'American' SupermarketsPart IV: The Affluent Society11. Impact of the Consumer Society12. Everyday Life TodayIndex

SynopsisIn this fresh, unfamiliar, and sometimes surprising picture of modern Italy, history is refracted through the prism of the nation's consumer culture. What were Italians eating and drinking over this period? Where did they live? What did they do in their leisure time? What did they choose to spend their spare money on? And how did this differ between different economic classes and over time? From the battle against poverty conducted by the first liberal governments of a united Italy, to fascist autarchy, up to the emergence of welfare policies and today's multifaceted society, Scarpellini looks at how the material culture associated with consumption has structured Italian life and defined the boundaries of class, gender, generations, and regional differences, inspiring government policies, and influencing the worlds of art and literature. Keeping a constant eye on wider historical trends, both in Italy and internationally, the book looks at how the basic triad of consumer culture (food, housing, and clothing) slowly developed into a more complex pattern, incorporating transport, domestic appliances, and then electronics, communications, and fashion. Combining economic and cultural history with a vivid narrative style, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of modern Italy and of consumption more generally in the last century and a half., A consumer history of Italy from unification in the 19th century to the present day, combining economic and cultural history with a vivid narrative style.

LC Classification NumberHC310