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Working-Class Consumer Behavior in “Marvellous Melbourne” and Buenos Aires, The “Paris of South America”

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Abstract

Recent work in Melbourne, including the papers in this volume, has shed new light on the archaeology of this major nineteenth-century urban center. But how does Melbourne compare to other important contemporary cities, particularly those outside the British Empire? This paper compares “Marvellous Melbourne” against the “Paris of South America,” Buenos Aires, with a focus on exploring consumer behavior and transnational trade. Two case studies are considered, Casselden Place (Melbourne) and La Casa Peña (Buenos Aires) and while some differences are encountered, the overall similarity in results points to the interconnectedness of the world during the period under study.

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Acknowledgments

As this paper stems from my PhD dissertation, I would like to thank my supervisors Tim Murray and Susan Lawrence as well as Peter Davies and Ming Wei for their guidance and assistance throughout my candidature. Thanks also to the former School of Humanities and Social Sciences, La Trobe University for providing travel funding. Many thanks to Daniel Schávelzon, Patricia Frazzi and Mario Silveira at the University of Buenos Aires and to Aniela Traba, Ulises Camino and Andres Zarankin for their assistance, generosity and advice. To Charlotte Smith, Sarah Hayes, Paul Pepdjonovic and all the staff at the Moreland Annex (Museum Victoria), thanks for the assistance and finally, thanks to Duncan Wright for providing valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

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Ricardi, P. Working-Class Consumer Behavior in “Marvellous Melbourne” and Buenos Aires, The “Paris of South America”. Int J Histor Archaeol 22, 131–146 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-017-0420-7

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