Abstract
This project examines the extent to which the thesis of an early modern consumption revolution applies to the Northwestern German hinterland. In this context, the term "consumption revolution" means the reorientation of needs in early modern households from a primarily subsistence-oriented household economy to an economic behaviour oriented towards market products. It is based on the analysis of probate inventories and the material culture of early modern households reflected in them. The project investigates several contrasting communities from the Westphalian Münsterland region, which differ with regard to varying commercial penetration, socio-economic setting and distance to urban centres and to the Netherlands, as regions that can be considered as 'forerunners' of critical consumer transitions and dynamic economic development.
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