The Politics of Consumption in Eighteenth-century Ireland

This book explores how the study of consumption can be applied to Irish society and culture, and more particularly its political scene. It focuses primarily on the politicisation of consumer goods in eighteenth-century Ireland. Using under-utilised material from a wide range of Irish newspapers it moves beyond the tangible items purchased by consumers and examines the political manifestations of the consumption of elite leisure activities, entertainment and display, and in doing so makes a vital contribution to work on the cultural life of the Protestant Ascendancy. It is argued that consumption played a key role in the formation of Irish stereotypes imposed by the British, and in the ways in which the Protestant Irish perceived their own identities. As with many other areas of Irish culture and society, consumption cannot be separated from the problems of Anglo-Irish relations, and therefore an appreciation of these political overtones is vitally important.

Table of Contents:
Abbreviations Acknowledgements PART 1: INTRODUCTION PART 2: THE POLITICS OF FOOD AND ALCOHOL Politics and Drink Toasting Food, Drink and National Stereotypes Consumption and the 'Body' Politics Conclusion PART 3: THE POLITICS OF LUXURY The Luxury Debate English and Foreign Goods Women and Consumer Items Emasculation Macaroni Fashions East India Company Goods Luxury at the End of the Century Conclusion PART 4: THE POLITICS OF CULTURE Civic and Cultural Improvement Club Life The Volunteers Newspaper and Books Theatre, Opera and Masquerades Gambling and Sporting Events Art Ireland's 'Urban Renaissance' Conclusion PART 5: CONSUMPTION AND THE CASTLE ADMINISTRATION Dublin Castle Hospitality Supporting Irish Manufacture Celebrations Conclusion PART 6: THE POLITICS OF CONSUMER PROTEST Popular Protest Buy-Irish Campaigns Patriotic Products The Commercial Classes Conclusion PART 7: CONSUMPTION AND THE POLITICS OF IRISH IDENTITY Violence Absentee Landlords and Middlemen Jobbery Politeness Sexual Misbehaviour Empire Conclusion PART 8: CONCLUSION: POLITICS, CONSUMPTION AND UNION Notes Select Bibliography Index

About the Author :
MARTYN J. POWELL is Lecturer in Modern British History at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK. He has published widely on eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland. His first book Britain and Ireland in the Eighteenth-Century Crisis of Empire was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2003.