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Book Synopsis
Since the early nineteenth century, the things which Black South Africans have had in their homes have changed completely. They have adopted things like tables, chairs, knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups and saucers, iron pots, beds, blankets, European clothing, and later electronic apparatus. Thus they claimed modernity, respectability and political inclusion. This book is the first systematic analysis of this development. It argues that the desire to possess such goods formed a major part of the drive behind the anti-apartheid struggle, and that the demand to consume has significantly influenced both the economy and the politics of the country.

Things Change: Black Material Culture and the Development of a Consumer Society in South Africa, 1800-2020

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    A Paperback by Robert Ross

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      View other formats and editions of Things Change: Black Material Culture and the Development of a Consumer Society in South Africa, 1800-2020 by Robert Ross

      Publisher: Brill
      Publication Date: 04/05/2023
      ISBN13: 9789004543744, 978-9004543744
      ISBN10:
      Also in:
      African history Consumerism Material culture

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Since the early nineteenth century, the things which Black South Africans have had in their homes have changed completely. They have adopted things like tables, chairs, knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups and saucers, iron pots, beds, blankets, European clothing, and later electronic apparatus. Thus they claimed modernity, respectability and political inclusion. This book is the first systematic analysis of this development. It argues that the desire to possess such goods formed a major part of the drive behind the anti-apartheid struggle, and that the demand to consume has significantly influenced both the economy and the politics of the country.

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