Consumerism on the Margins: Shop Ledgers and Materialized Social Status in Coastal Co. Galway, Ireland.

Summary

In contrast to the marginality ascribed to Western Ireland during the 19th and 20th centuries, islanders’ and coastal mainlanders’ participated in transnational trade networks expressed through everyday material decision-making, seasonal and intermittent international interactions, and ideologies of social status. Historically, coastal communities in Western Ireland have been characterized as marginalized and geographically isolated from participation in mainstream consumerism and national and international markets. Archaeological and historic evidence suggests an alternative narrative of vibrant trade and interconnectivity between islanders and mainlanders, rural and urban settlements, and national and international trade networks. By comparing shop ledger entries from the mainland towns of Cleggan and Clifden, Co. Galway, with archaeological materials from the nearby coastal islands of Inishark and Inishbofin, this paper investigates perceptions and practice of central and peripheral consumption trends in relation to social status, occupation, gender, religion, and nationality in coastal communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Life on the Edge: Past and Present Perceptions of People on the Margins   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 735