Introduction

Abstract

What is the acceptable amount to consume? Who should be entitled to more and better goods and on what basis? Which goods are appropriate to consume and which fall into the disapproved category? And more generally, on what basis should consumption be judged? The answers to these questions are the very stuff of consumption norms. These norms have been articulated in very different contexts and forms across time and space. The religious taboos regulating what is allowed to be eaten, when, how and by whom; the sumptuary laws defining the kind of clothes, swords and feasts that are legitimate for certain social groups; the modern regulation of consumption ranging from Prohibition to the control over everyday consumption in socialist countries; as well as the mundane discussions conducted around the dinner table about what kind of wedding would be appropriate given the family’s social and financial situation — these are all different versions of consumption norms.