Empire of Things
What we consume has become a central—perhaps the central—feature of modern life. Our economies live or die by spending, we increasingly define ourselves by our possessions, and this ever-richer lifestyle has had an extraordinary impact on our planet. How have we come to live with so much stuff, and how has this changed the course of history?
In Empire of Things, Frank Trentmann...
What we consume has become a central—perhaps the central—feature of modern life. Our economies live or die by spending, we increasingly define ourselves by our possessions, and this ever-richer lifestyle has had an extraordinary impact on our planet. How have we come to live with so much stuff, and how has this changed the course of history?
In Empire of Things, Frank Trentmann unfolds the extraordinary story of our modern material world, from Renaissance Italy and late Ming China to today’s global economy. While consumption is often portrayed as a recent American export, this monumental and richly detailed account shows that it is in fact a truly international phenomenon with a much longer and more diverse history. Trentmann traces the influence of trade and empire on tastes, as formerly exotic goods like coffee, tobacco, Indian cotton and Chinese porcelain conquered the world, and explores the growing demand for home furnishings, fashionable clothes and convenience that transformed private and public life. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries brought department stores, credit cards and advertising, but also the rise of the ethical shopper, new generational identities and, eventually, the resurgence of the Asian consumer.
With an eye to the present and future, Frank Trentmann provides a long view on the global challenges of our relentless pursuit of more—from waste and debt to stress and inequality. A masterpiece of research and storytelling many years in the making, Empire of Things recounts the epic history of the goods that have seduced, enriched and unsettled our lives over the past six hundred years.
◎ 著者简介
弗兰克·特伦特曼（Frank Trentmann），1965年出生于德国汉堡，后就读于汉堡大学、伦敦政治经济学院和哈佛大学；曾任教于普林斯顿大学和德国比勒费尔德大学，现为伦敦大学伯贝克学院历史学教授和曼彻斯特大学可持续消费研究所历史与社会科学教授；其研究主 要关注消费、政治、道德和物质文化，曾主持经费高达500万英镑的“消费文化计划”，并多次因学术声誉和相关研究获得荣誉称号和奖项；相关著作有Free Trade Nation、Consuming Cultures、Global Perspectives等。
◎ 译者简介
马灿林，南京大学哲学系硕士，武汉大学哲学学院在读博士，研究领域为政治哲学、批判理论，已发表多篇论文和译稿。
桂强，华东师范大学中国近现代史在读博士，研究方向为中国近现代经济社会史和抗日战争史，在《历史教学问题》《盐业史研...
◎ 著者简介
弗兰克·特伦特曼（Frank Trentmann），1965年出生于德国汉堡，后就读于汉堡大学、伦敦政治经济学院和哈佛大学；曾任教于普林斯顿大学和德国比勒费尔德大学，现为伦敦大学伯贝克学院历史学教授和曼彻斯特大学可持续消费研究所历史与社会科学教授；其研究主 要关注消费、政治、道德和物质文化，曾主持经费高达500万英镑的“消费文化计划”，并多次因学术声誉和相关研究获得荣誉称号和奖项；相关著作有Free Trade Nation、Consuming Cultures、Global Perspectives等。
◎ 译者简介
马灿林，南京大学哲学系硕士，武汉大学哲学学院在读博士，研究领域为政治哲学、批判理论，已发表多篇论文和译稿。
桂强，华东师范大学中国近现代史在读博士，研究方向为中国近现代经济社会史和抗日战争史，在《历史教学问题》《盐业史研究》《浙江档案》等刊物发表多篇论文。