In contemporary society it would seem self-evident that people allow the market to determine the values of products and services. For everything from a loaf of bread to a work of art to a simple haircut; value is expressed in monetary terms and seen as determined primarily by the objective interplay between supply and demand. Yet this price-mechanism is itself embedded in conventions and frames of reference which differed according to time; place and product type. Moreover; the dominance of the conventions of utility maximising and calculative homo economicus is a relatively new phenomenon; and one which directly correlates to the steady advent of capitalism in early modern Europe. This volume brings together scholars with expertise in a variety of related fields; including economic history; the history of consumption and material culture; art history; and the history of collecting; to explore changing concepts of value from the early modern period to the nineteenth century and present a new view on the advent of modern economic practices. Jointly; they fundamentally challenge traditional historical narratives about the rise of our contemporary market economy and consumer society.
#2949856 in eBooks 2016-03-09 2016-03-09File Name: B01CR6BWHE
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