Full Description
This major new contribution to the study of consumption examines how dominant groups express and display their sense of superiority through material and aesthetic attributes, demonstrating that differences from one society to another, and across historical periods, challenge current understandings of elite distinction.
Contents
Introduction PART I: SOCIAL THEORY AND ELITE DISTINCTION Classical Approaches to Social Emulation and Distinction Major Subsequent Contributions Grand Theories: Limits and Merits PART II: KEY MANIFESTATIONS External Signs of Superiority Embodied Signs of Superiority Vicarious Display PART III: VARIABILITY The Historicity of Elite Distinction: Selected Themes Tradition, Fashion, Borrowing, Syncretism Beyond Reductionism Conclusion
