Domesticity on Display: Romanian Middle-Class Material Culture from Late Socialism to Today

The book explores postsocialist transformations in Romania through the analysis of porcelain and crystal sets and ornaments, revealing the ambiguous relation between the middle-class and the socialist state, changes in practices of display, gift exchange, and barter, and the perception and use of time. It will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, and cultural historians.

Format: Hardback
Length: 211 pages
Publication date: 24 October 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This captivating book delves into the profound postsocialist transformations that are intricately woven into the urban middle-class domestic spaces and the museums dedicated to socialism in Romania. It centers its attention on the significance and circulation of porcelain and crystal sets and ornaments during the late socialist era and the subsequent period after 1989, following the experiences of consumers, workers in the glassware and porcelain industry, and artists. By meticulously tracing the values and temporalities embedded within materiality, the book unveils the profound ways in which objects shape and influence daily life in a time of profound cultural, economic, and social change. Through the lens of ethnographic research, the book offers an in-depth analysis of the complex and often ambiguous relationship between the middle class and the socialist state. It employs materiality and consumption as powerful tools to unravel the contradictions between aspirations and resources, as well as between official discourses and everyday practices.

The book reveals a range of intriguing changes in practices of display, gift exchange, and barter, as well as in the perception and use of time. It sheds light on shifts in gender and intergenerational relations, illuminating how these relationships are shaped and transformed by the material world. This work will captivate scholars and researchers across a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, anthropology, and cultural history. Particularly, those with interests in consumption, material culture, postsocialism, the anthropology of value and gift, the study of social time, practices of the middle class, and the history of consumption in Eastern Europe will find this book to be a valuable resource.

In conclusion, this book offers a thought-provoking exploration of the complex interplay between materiality, consumption, and the postsocialist transformations in Romania. Through its meticulous analysis and rich ethnographic data, it provides valuable insights into the ways in which objects shape our lives and the broader social and cultural dynamics of a rapidly changing world.

Weight: 448g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030787820
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021