‘Superior Quality’: Exploring the nature of cost, quality and value in historical archaeology

This dissertation represents an exploration of three key concepts in nineteenth-century consumerism: cost, quality and value. Broadly conceived as an archaeology of consumption, it evaluates the role these concepts play in approaching the archaeological material culture of the modern world. It interweaves two primary strands of inquiry: one, a consumption-theory driven study of trade catalogues to analyse the cost and promotion of 19th-century tablewares; and two, a close study of production flaws observed in archaeological sherds. These culminate in a consideration of how these goods may have been valued in their cultural context, and whether archaeologists are well placed to interpret such values.

本论文围绕19世纪消费主义的三大核心概念——成本、质量与价值——展开系统性探索。本研究整体以消费考古学为视角，探讨上述三大概念在解读现代世界考古物质文化时所发挥的作用。研究融合两大核心脉络：其一，以消费理论为导向，对贸易商品目录展开研究，以分析19世纪餐具的成本与营销推广；其二，针对考古出土陶片所呈现的生产缺陷开展细致研判。最终，本研究落脚于探讨此类商品在其所处文化语境中的价值评估方式，以及考古学家是否具备适宜条件以解读此类价值。