The politics of furniture: identity, diplomacy and persuasion in post-war interiors

Bringing together a range of international studies, this volume discusses the agency of modern furniture in post-war interiors.

It argues that modern furniture played a critical and underestimated role in the crafting of political messages in very diverse arenas between the 1940s and the 1970s.

This issue is explored through three main themes. The first, ?Furniture and Identity Politics,? focuses on the role of furniture in the negotiation of and between different national, corporate or cultural identities.

The second theme, ?Spaces of Persuasion,? considers the role of modern furniture and interiors in the promotion of a positive image of a corporation, institution or country through exhibitions and showrooms.

The final theme, ?The Diplomacy of Furniture,? examines the way modern furniture and furnishings answered the explicit diplomatic mission of such highly symbolic official buildings as embassies and government offices.

Taken as a whole, the book not only sheds new light on the international distribution, changing meanings and cultural biography of modern furniture elements, it also provides new insights on their agency within different political climates and cultures.