Ethical Consumption Before Capitalism (2021-2022 & 2023-24)

Written By Astrid Giugni

Is it ethically permissible to sell, buy and use luxury goods? What labor practices do we tolerate to make these goods available?

In the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, England was faced with an ever-growing supply of new and exciting goods, made possible by new trade routes to the “New World,” the African continent and India, as well as by the exploitation of indentured and enslaved laborers. Investors were asked to contribute to financially risky ventures; prospective settlers of the New World colonies were enticed by promises of moral and economic improvement. In the propaganda of the period, the inherent risks and hardships of these ventures were diminished to highlight the potential profits to be made.

However, the goods cultivated and traded through these new global markets were viewed by many with suspicion. From exotic dyes to tobacco and opium, these sought-after luxury items represented an uneasy mix of economic opportunity and ethical risk — some due to their addictive qualities, and others because of their production by slave labor. 

These and similar questions have shaped our modern understanding around the ethics of consumption and global trade, making it critical to understand how premodern people understood the relationship between consumer culture, trade and living ethically.

2023-2024 project timeline:

  • Summer 2023: The team performed large-scale text analysis; organized results in a series of visualizations and an interactive RShiny app.

  • Fall 2023: Work with archival materials and computational analysis; prepare and submit proposal for a spring conference presentation

  • Spring 2024: Finish conducting research; write conference paper; prepare for conference; work to expand existing website

2021-2022 project outputs:


Astrid Giugni
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Mapping Publishing Networks in Early Modern London