From Iron Rice Bowl to Ten-Piece Bucket: Shifting Chinese Consumerism and Modern Urban Identity
By: Nick Gollner '14
Advising Faculty: Takeshi Watanabe
The economic reforms of the 1980's radically altered the social and geopolitical trajectory of modern China. Over the past thirty years the dreams of the common people have shifted focus from obtaining bicycles, washing machines and radios to laptops, cars and homes. This senior integrative project through the Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts (CISLA) addresses the complex status of Chinese consumerism and urban modernity by examining the social function of and changing views toward three different groups of products: Haagen-Dazs ice cream, beer and frozen pre-packaged convenience foods.
Related Fields: CISLA, East Asian Studies, Global/International, History