China to china: Consolidating a National Identity Through Porcelain In 18th Century Britain
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Producer
Director
Performer
Choreographer
Costume Designer
Music
Videographer
Lighting Designer
Set Designer
Crew Member
Funder
Rehearsal Director
Concert Coordinator
Advisor
Moderator
Panelist
Alternative Title
Department
Haverford College. Department of History
Type
Thesis
Original Format
Running Time
File Format
Place of Publication
Date Span
Copyright Date
Award
Language
eng
Note
Table of Contents
Terms of Use
Rights Holder
Access Restrictions
Open access
Terms of Use
Tripod URL
Identifier
Abstract
This thesis explores the role of porcelain and its associated social rituals in contributing to the development of a modern British national identity during the 18th century. Once cherished for its apparent cultural authenticity and exclusivity among the British elite, porcelain became ubiquitous in everyday British life. Globalization, especially the large-scale incorporation of Asian trade into European trade and Chinese mass-production systems, transformed consumption patterns and founded modern European consumer culture by the 18th century. Traditional social hierarchies were transformed as British society saw the creation of new commercial classes and the rise of the middle class, replacing principles of birth and land ownership with commercial power and globally-oriented connections. Chinese porcelain was a product that was, in the eyes of European consumers, ancient and largely unchanged. At the same time, porcelain could be customized according to individual tastes, fulfilling consumer culture's demand for novelty. Therefore, porcelain appealed to both the old gentry and new commercial values. Tea drinking, a practice appropriated from Chinese culture and similarly viewed as an exotic and costly luxury, gradually evolved into a beverage for everyday consumption as a result of mass shipments from the East India Company, creating a sense of shared cultural practice and identity among British people. The widespread adoption of porcelain and its associated social rituals in British society fostered anxieties among the British elite, who attempted to maintain porcelain and its associated rituals with luxury and maintain their knowledge of polite culture compared to lower classes. Simultaneously, concerns among the general public about the implications of porcelain's mass availability reflected debates about the impact of globalization on British societal values. Nevertheless, "China" would transform into "china" as Chinese porcelain represented British national identity.