An archaeological analysis of the centrality of race and racism in American culture. Using a broad range of material, historical, and ethnographic resources from Annapolis, Maryland, during the period 1850 to 1930, the author probes distinctive African-American consumption patterns and examines how those patterns resisted the racist assumptions of the dominant culture while also attempting to demonstrate African-Americans' suitability to full citizenship privileges.

Racializing Consumer Culture.- The Politicization and Politics of African-American Consumption.- Material and Symbolic Racism in Consumer Space.- "Producers as Well as Consumers".- Moralizing Work and Materialism.- Modes of Consumption.- Affluent Aspiration.- Double Consciousness, Whiteness, and Consumer Culture.