History of Everyday Life (19th-20th centuries)

The research project explores aspects of the social history of modern and contemporary Greece through the lens of everyday practices related to consumption and leisure. Focusing on elements often overlooked in historical research, it seeks to examine society not only through official discourses and sources but also by considering the lived experiences of individuals. The project investigates topics such as consumer commodities (ranging from everyday food items to illicit psychoactive substances), forms and modes of entertainment (from music to cinema), and spaces of leisure and socialization. It concentrates on the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century, a period marked by the early stages of industrialization and urbanization in Greece, the emergence of new social groups, and the spread of novel forms of entertainment and communication, all of which played a crucial role in shaping everyday practices.

Specifically, the project raises questions along the following key axes:

• Official policies on everyday consumption and leisure practices: To what extent are these practices encouraged, regulated, or restricted by authorities? How was the balance negotiated between economic imperatives and political, ideological, or moral considerations?
• Trade and distribution networks: What were the routes taken by consumer goods, and who were the agents involved in their movement? What role did smuggling play in local, regional, and international economies? How did shifting borders, territorial annexations, and state-imposed controls influence both legal trade and illicit networks? How was consumer demand met during periods of trade disruption, such as wars, blockades, or prohibitions?
• Consumption practices and spaces: How were consumption preferences shaped and how did they evolve over time? What were the class- and gender-based components of consumption? How was the context of consumption conceptualized, and in what ways did it influence consumer trends?
• Cultural perceptions and representations of consumption, its agents, and its means: How were these themes reflected in cultural expressions, both scholarly and popular? What forms of knowledge and academic disciplines engaged with these issues? How did everyday practices of consumption intersect with broader social, economic, political, and ideological developments, and how might they offer new perspectives on these processes?