Bazaars and Found Objects: Thing Culture in Post-war Poland.

Because of the specific political and economic situation, in the period immediately after World War II Poland was characterized by a low standard of living, difficulties in obtaining supplies of basic products, limited opportunities to travel abroad and the arrival of foreign aid packages which fueled consumer desires. This paper explores how clothes were used and valued at a time of shortage, and particularly the way that the bazaar was seen as “a seedbed of fashion and elegance.” This research explores the Polish bazaars as a manifestation of Elaine Freedgood’s concept of “thing culture,” contrasted with “commodity culture” in herThe Ideas in Things(2006). Using three different examples from diverse parts of post-war Poland, the paper explores how people experienced the “thingness” of clothes in a period of extreme hardship. Even in times of austerity, clothes were much more than simple commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]