CRAFTING GRAND-CRU CHOCOLATES IN CONTEMPORARY FRANCE

The plethora of works on consumption and commoditization in late capit alism give little attention to the cultural and social logics underlyi ng the creation of demand for and consumption of prestige craft commod ities in postindustrial centers. A case study hom France documents the creation of social demand for French chocolates, newly recast as pres tige goods, reinvested with cultural authenticity, and associated with new symbolic meanings. The transformation of traditional artisanal ca ndies into gland cru or vintage chocolates took place in the context o f intensified international competition in the 1980s.