Material Culture as a Marker of Wealth and Social Status Within the Romanian Peasant Households of the Caraomer Microregion, Constanta County

Abstract

Rural settlements have their own language when it comes to communicating wealth and status. Sometimes, this language can be lost in translation for outsiders, most of whom could overlook certain characteristics of the house and household that are obvious to the locals when it comes to determining the owner’s social and economic standing. Material culture is continuously evolving; its development is directly linked to technological advancement, and the cultural and political changes that mark a society. The current paper focuses on analyzing the way in which certain features of a house and household are an indicator of social status within the communities of the Caraomer microregion. Such markers can be the presence of a metal gate that has intricate ornamentation made from twisted thin metal bars, in contrast to a gate made from wooden planks. Also, the overall design of the house, whether the house has a porch supported on wooden beams, and whether the exterior plastering is clay or cement-based. The use of industrially produced materials in the post-war decades was an indicator of modernity and development within many communities. The archaic household, which was primarily built by using local materials and is now fetishized within discourses centered around national identity, was marked by numerous issues that had to do with the durability of most of the materials that were used. Also, we have to take into account that the general layout of the household did not segregate very well the areas designated for livestock, which are characterized by dirt and unpleasant smells, from the ones that are designed for human activities. The postwar household is characterized by a higher level of hygiene that is made possible due to the presence of concrete sidewalks, the presence of intermediate spaces between the interior and exterior, and a total separation between the house and stables.