Rise of Consumer Capitalism in America, 1880 - 1930

This book offers a genealogical account of the rise of consumer capitalism, tracing its origins in America between 1880 and 1930 and explaining how it emerged to become the dominant form of social organization of our time. Asking how it was that we came to be consumers who live in societies that revolve around an ever-spinning circle of production and consumption, not only of goods, but also of events, experiences, emotions and relations, The Rise of Consumer Capitalism in America presents an extensive analysis of primary sources to demonstrate the conditions and forces from which consumer capitalism emerged and became victorious.

Employing a Weberian approach that brings liminality to the fore as a master concept to make sense of historical change, the author links an in-depth empirical investigation to supple sociological theorizing to show how the encirclement of all aspects of life by the logic of consumer capitalism was a time-bound historical creation rather than a necessary one. A fascinating study of the appearance and triumph of the "ideology" of our age, this book will appeal to scholars of social and anthropological theory, historical sociology, cultural history and American studies.

"The focus on the historicity of the consumer subjectivity and its specificity as a type (and relatedly that of consumer capitalism) is what sets Silla’s study apart from much of the existing work on the history of consumption. [...] I would recommend the book to all interested in the history of consumption and marketing, whether they are beginners or advanced scholars. In particular, the book would be of value to scholars with interest in the concept of liminality. Silla demonstrates the value of this notion well in illuminating the aspects often obfuscated in the historical works due to the tendency to focus on periodisation and/or specific periods, rather than the in-between phases in their accounts. Also, Silla does a particularly fine job in explaining how to do a genealogical study. And finally, the volume would serve as a valuable reference for those interested in a more sociologically informed understanding of the current marketing practices and consumption phenomena." - Olga Kravets, Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia

"I would certainly recommend this book to any reader interested in how the conjoined twins of consumer capitalism and capitalist consumption came into being, and the role that a new vanguard of proselytizers, advertisers and marketers played in this process. Lively, informative and clearly argued, but with a historian’s attention to the telling detail, it is a worthy addition to the literature in this area." - Donncha Marron, Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change

"The focus on the historicity of the consumer subjectivity and its specificity as a type (and relatedly that of consumer capitalism) is what sets Silla’s study apart from much of the existing work on the history of consumption. [...] I would recommend the book to all interested in the history of consumption and marketing, whether they are beginners or advanced scholars. In particular, the book would be of value to scholars with interest in the concept of liminality. Silla demonstrates the value of this notion well in illuminating the aspects often obfuscated in the historical works due to the tendency to focus on periodisation and/or specific periods, rather than the in-between phases in their accounts. Also, Silla does a particularly fine job in explaining how to do a genealogical study. And finally, the volume would serve as a valuable reference for those interested in a more sociologically informed understanding of the current marketing practices and consumption phenomena." - Olga Kravets, Rassegna Italiana di Sociologia

"I would certainly recommend this book to any reader interested in how the conjoined twins of consumer capitalism and capitalist consumption came into being, and the role that a new vanguard of proselytizers, advertisers and marketers played in this process. Lively, informative and clearly argued, but with a historian’s attention to the telling detail, it is a worthy addition to the literature in this area." - Donncha Marron, Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change

Cesare Silla is Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Catholic University of Milan.

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