Consumerism, Commodification, and Changing Taskscapes: The Ceramic Assemblage at the Biry/Ahr House in Castroville, Texas
[Thesis]
Hanley, David
Van Dyke, Ruth M.
State University of New York at Binghamton
2019
197 p.
M.A.
State University of New York at Binghamton
2019
This thesis demonstrates how historic artifacts can show change in a past population's taskscape over time by using historic ceramic vessels from the Biry/Ahr House in Castroville, Texas. This paper also argues that archaeologists need to consider taskscape frameworks in contexts where populations are not producing their own ceramic vessels. Analyzing the ceramic assemblage from the Biry/Ahr house in Castroville, Texas and drawing on theoretical perspectives on commodification and consumerism, I demonstrate there is a shift in the residents' taskscape over time. This shift coincides with the introduction of the railroad to the greater area of Medina County as well as the beginning of catalog-based ceramics from companies such as Homer Laughlin. With the introduction of the railroad, consumers could choose either to acquire their ceramics from general stores or ship them directly to their homes, showing the ways in which globalization affect the daily consumer practices.