Cultural History of Shopping in the Middle Ages

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Cultural History of Shopping in the Middle Ages

Social and cultural history Cultural studies Microeconomics Retail and wholesale industries

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Collection: The Cultural Histories Series

Language: English

Published by: Bloomsbury Academic

Published on: 2nd June 2022

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 256 pages

ISBN: 9781350278462


Book Recognition

A Cultural History of Shopping was a Library Journal Best in Reference selection for 2022.

Historical Context

Throughout Europe, the collapse of Roman authority from the 5th century fractured existing networks of commerce and trade including shopping. The infrastructure of trade was slowly rebuilt over the centuries that followed with the growth of beach markets, emporia, seasonal fairs and periodic markets until, in the late Middle Ages, the permanent shop re-emerged as an established part of market spaces, both in towns and larger urban centers. Medieval society was a ''display culture'' and by the 14th century there was a marked increase in the consumption of manufactures and imported goods among the lower classes as well as the elite. This volume surveys our understanding of medieval retail markets, shops and shopping from a range of perspectives - spatial, material culture, literary, archaeological and economic.

Book Overview

A Cultural History of Shopping in the Middle Ages presents an overview of the period with themes addressing practices and processes; spaces and places; shoppers and identities; luxury and everyday; home and family; visual and literary representations; reputation, trust and credit; and governance, regulation and the state.

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