Second-hand Cultures (Materializing Culture) Book

Second-hand shops: simply sources of undesirable "cast-offs" or Aladdin's caves where hidden treasures await discovery? The popular perception, of course, is that second-hand stores are crammed with junk. Yet the rise and demand of vintage goods shows that second-hand shopping is as much about style as it is bargain-hunting. What happens when consumers with very different motives get together to browse and buy, either as a survival strategy or a style statement? What does second-hand buying and selling tell us about contemporary culture? How do items that begin life as new get recycled and reclaimed? What things do we part with and why? How does second-hand shopping differ from buying new? Answering these questions and many more, Second-Hand Cultures presents six years of research into the bric-a-brac and knick-knacks people love to collect. Following the life stories of goods as they travel into and through second-hand sites, the authors look at the work and lives of buyers and sellers. In doing so they reveal the allure of the "previously owned."Read More