Consumer Culture & Postmodernism
Abstract
The First Edition of this contemporary classic can claim to have put ‘consumer culture’ on the map, certainly in relation to postmodernism. Updated throughout, this expanded new edition includes a fully revised preface that explores the developments in consumer culture since the First Edition. Among the most noteworthy areas discussed are the effect of global warming on consumption, the rise of the new rich, changes in the North/South divide and the new diversity of consumer culture. The result is a book that shakes the boundaries of debate, from one of the foremost writers on culture and postmodernism of the present day.
... Estas lógicas, las cuales vienen configurando el contexto de los clubes deportivos, tiende a "despolitizarlos", en el sentido que los alejan de los barrios, que las arenas sociales deportivas se vienen alejando de las zonas libres 15 (Archetti, 1985) que veníamos problematizando, en donde actualmente se acercan a la lógica del consumo, a las relaciones configuradas en torno al deseo y el placer, y a parámetros morales y estéticos particulares (Featherstone, 1991). Es así que estos proyectos aumentan su valor, de tal manera que provocan una distinción social en relación a otros formatos de clubes, los cuales son parte de la lógica del barrio y de la vida de las familias. ...
... Desde niños se busca una posibilidad de una trayectoria deportiva que logre hacer coincidir el ciclo competitivo con el ciclo de vida, lo que permite clasificar el mundo social en categorías de personas (Featherstone, 1991). Los cuales utilizan valoraciones, imágenes, signos y significados que permiten cubrir la proyección o los sueños familiares, y las fantasías y deseos de lograr el tan anhelado contrato profesional. ...
... Los cuales utilizan valoraciones, imágenes, signos y significados que permiten cubrir la proyección o los sueños familiares, y las fantasías y deseos de lograr el tan anhelado contrato profesional. Esta conceptualización permite entender las lógicas del consumo (comprendidas, en este caso particular, en relación a la elección de las familias de los clubes) a partir del predominio del valor de cambio (Featherstone, 1991), que posibilita visibilizar el espíritu emprendedor en un mismo nivel con el espíritu deportivo. En el sentido de la posibilidad de asumir un valor simbólico en los procesos formativos que buscan la lógica del rendimiento, del control corporal y de la recuperación de viejos valores deportivos que hacen a la vida en sociedad organizada. ...
Este artículo propone indagar en el proceso de formación de futbolistas varones de Maldonado y sus posibles trayectorias para incorporarse a equipos de fútbol profesional a partir de la denominada “era Tabárez”. Se realizó un trabajo etnográfico que involucró observaciones participantes en entrenamientos de algunos equipos de fútbol del Departamento de Maldonado (Uruguay), entrevistas a entrenadores y análisis de fuentes periodísticas y escritas. En este sentido, se propone estudiar cómo en el proceso de formación deportiva de los futbolistas, en el cual intervienen múltiples variables entre las que se destacan la influencia de fuerzas históricas, sociales, económicas y culturales que prefiguran una determinada concepción del fútbol en Uruguay, vinculadas discursivamente con las nociones de alto rendimiento deportivo y con la idea de que los futbolistas son “proyectos familiares” que implican la posibilidad de recuperar a “viejos valores nacionales” y a la “salvación familiar”, que mediante una formación deportiva acorde, representarán y mantendrán el espíritu deportivo de un territorio y de la nación. Submissão: 14 ago. 2024 ⊶ Aceite: 16 out. 2024
... Fatores sociais, econômicos e culturais influenciam a maneira como os jovens vivenciam, por exemplo, a identidade ocupacional e as incertezas em relação ao futuro no mundo do trabalho. Além disso a renovação das perspectivas analíticas para a compreensão dos estilos de vida juvenis leva em conta as diferenças e particularidades entre os grupos e suas diversas afinidades culturais suas formas de autoexpressão, usos, práticas e formas de consumo distintos, refletidos em suas escolhas e interesses (Featherstone, 2007). ...
... A globalização cultural e o avanço das tecnologias de comunicação intensificaram o consumo audiovisual, resultando na hibridização de estilos de vida, símbolos e bens associados a eles. Consumir bens culturais se tornou constitutivo para certos estilos de vida e há uma forte componente visual (Featherstone, 2007). Para Marques e Campos (2017, p. 6), neste domínio, há "agência e criatividade, pois há opções e formas de 'bricolage' que não são meramente utilitárias, mas também simbólicas e que pretendem comunicar algo sobre quem somos e como vivemos". ...
... O consumo visual é uma das suposições levantadas pelos autores que discutem o consumo como uma prática não necessariamente lógica da vida cultural. Isto é, a prática sociossimbólica de consumir envolve o encontro com outros estilos de vida e, por isso, as interações podem ser frequentemente conflitantes quando seus agentes buscam inovar os referenciais culturais, inspirados no lado imaginário da vida e da experimentação imagética (Featherstone, 2007), através da produção de processos de identificação com mercadorias que desestabilizam as estruturas sociais tradicionais do Estado e dos mercados. ...
Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir as políticas de visualidade e as práticas de consumo visual das juventudes ativistas em espaços políticos do consumo, exemplificados pelo ativismo canábico. Nosso enfoque está em um tipo de ativismo que cria repertórios criativos, expressões estilizadas e mobilizações em prol de várias causas sociais, indo além do acesso à planta e seus derivados para fins terapêuticos ou recreativos. A metodologia utiliza revisão de literatura e análise de imagens da rede social Instagram. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que o ativismo canábico, através de uma variedade de expressões estéticas e agências criativas, expande a compreensão pública da cannabis, embora os conflitos sociais e identitários ainda persistam, conectando-se com novos públicos e redefinindo espaços urbanos e virtuais como palcos de expressão política e cultural.
... Kedaulatan diri seseorang kala menetapkan pola konsumsinya meneguhkan posisi individu yang signifikan sebagai subjek yang bertanggung jawab pada pembentukan identitas diri. Featherstone (1991) melalui kacamata teori budaya konsumen menjelaskan keadaan itu dikondisikan struktur pasar dan dimensi kulturalnya. Arnould & Thompson (2005) menerangkan struktur pasar menawarkan daya 'mistis' dan simbolis yang menempatkan konsumen agar merespons komoditas yang disediakan pasar lalu memaknainya sesuai dengan nilai dan kultur yang diyakini. ...
... Titik balik informan (dalam fase sensitization) dalam memikirkan ulang pola konsumsinya adalah bukti bagaimana konsumen berusaha keluar dari pengaruh pasar arus utama. Dalam konsep budaya konsumen (Arnould & Thompson, 2005;Larsen & Patterson, 2018;Featherstone, 1991) pasar adalah arena di mana konsumen dapat mengamini diskursus konsumsi dominan atau berupaya menghindarinya dan menciptakan makna baru dari komoditas yang disediakan pasar. Poin terakhir meneguhkan bahwa praktik konsumsi ialah upaya menciptakan identitas diri Lawler, (2021); Cherrier & Murray, (2007) lewat sumber daya yang dimiliki konsumen dan juga yang disediakan pasar Featherstone, (1991) dan pada akhirnya kita akan memilih untuk mengikuti arus pasar atau menjadi resistans (Arnould & Thompson, 2005). ...
Di tatanan masyarakat kontemporer, aktivitas konsumsi hijau dalam gaya hidup nol sampah berimplikasi pada pembentukan identitas konsumen. Menurut teori budaya konsumen, hal ini disebabkan nilai simbolis dan nilai kultural dari aktivitas konsumsi. Artikel ini bertujuan menjelaskan konstruksi identitas konsumen hijau di Kota Bandung dalam penerapan gaya hidup nol sampah di kehidupan sehari-hari. Untuk memahami konstruksi tersebut, artikel ini menggunakan metode wawancara life story yang akan dianalisis berlandaskan konsep identitas naratif dan teori processual identity. Informan terdiri dari lima pelanggan Toko Organis YPBB—suatu toko curah yang berfokus pada edukasi prinsip nol sampah. Penelitian ini menemukan dua dimensi dalam proses konstruksi identitas konsumen hijau. Pertama adalah dimensi refleksi yang menjelaskan afirmasi diri sebagai bentuk peneguhan identitas yang ditempuh lewat aktivitas konsumsi hijau. Kedua adalah dimensi interaksi sosial yang menampilkan negosiasi identitas di arena sosial informan. Artikel ini berargumen bahwa pola konsumsi dalam gaya hidup dapat menegaskan identitas seseorang melalui apa yang orang lain persepsikan dan yang orang itu refleksikan tentang dirinya sendiri. In contemporary society, green consumption activities on zero waste lifestyle imply consumer identity construction. Based on consumer culture theory, it happens due to the symbolic and cultural values from the consumption act. This article aims to explain the construction of a green consumer identity in Bandung on zero waste lifestyle implemented in everyday life. This article uses life story interview method and then will be analyzed by narrative identity concept and processual identity theory. The informants consist of five YPBB Toko Organis customers—it is a bulk store where people can learn about the zero waste principle. This research finds two dimensions of the green consumer identity construction process. First, the reflection dimension explains self-affirmation as a form of identity assertion through green consumption activities. Second, the social interaction aspect which displays identity negotiation processes in one social arena. This article argues that consumption schemes in a lifestyle affirms one’s identity through what others perceive and what one reflects about oneself.
... Spotrebitelia si skrátka vyberajú produkty, služby a aktivity, ktoré definujú ich životný štýl. osvojovanie si určitého štýlu vyjadreného výberom oblečenia, jedla, nápojov, voľnočasových aktivít, spotrebných tovarov prekonáva hranice predtým pevne ohraničených statusových skupín (Featherstone 1991). Spočiatku bol tento spôsob budovania identity charakteristický hlavne pre skupiny mládeže a mladých ľudí do 30 rokov, neskôr (aj vďaka postupnému prechodu týchto skupín do vyšších vekových kategórií) preniká aj medzi staršie vekové skupiny (Bocock, 1993, 27-28;Featherstone 1991). ...
... osvojovanie si určitého štýlu vyjadreného výberom oblečenia, jedla, nápojov, voľnočasových aktivít, spotrebných tovarov prekonáva hranice predtým pevne ohraničených statusových skupín (Featherstone 1991). Spočiatku bol tento spôsob budovania identity charakteristický hlavne pre skupiny mládeže a mladých ľudí do 30 rokov, neskôr (aj vďaka postupnému prechodu týchto skupín do vyšších vekových kategórií) preniká aj medzi staršie vekové skupiny (Bocock, 1993, 27-28;Featherstone 1991). ...
... Put simply, unprecedentedly diverse supply enabled individuals to use consumption for distinction, to express both their collective identifications and their individual authenticity. These uses, previously endemic to fashion (Simmel, 1957), have expanded to nearly all forms of consumption (Baudrillard, 1998;Bourdieu, 1984;Featherstone, 1991). Cultural features that had used to characterize certain groups, from music to religion, offered themselves for choice as singular goods in global 'attractiveness markets', invigorating the economy through its culturization (Reckwitz, 2020). ...
Choice has played a key role in late-modern economy, society, culture and politics, but recently predictive algorithms are decentring choice and replacing many of its instantiations, offering an alternative way to match individuals with information, cultural goods, and consumer products – and to govern people. This article has two contributions: first, it contextualizes the decentring of choice within the history of capitalism, showing how it emerged once psychological and economics knowledge transformed the meaning of choice from an economic engine into a problem (‘friction’ or ‘overload’). Second, it explores the wider significance and cultural-cum-political implications of this transformation. Algorithmic ‘individuation without choice’ challenges the role of choice in neoliberal subjectification. Choice is increasingly marginalized in everyday practice while retaining its role in justification (as predictions are construed as what actors would have chosen). As the decentring of choice expands from social media and consumption towards governance, it may pose a threat to democracy.
... Urban spaces and everyday life are increasingly subject to aestheticization. 3 Mike Featherstone (2007;, for example, argues that capitalism has created an entire sector dedicated to producing affect-laden images and messages that inundate everyday life with a "colorful" display of lifestyles, stylistic experimentation, and performative multiculturalism (Žižek 2008). Crucially, this aesthetic turn precludes any class-based political action, as it disperses collective identities into individualized modes of consumption and self-expression (Valente Aguiar 2011). ...
This article examines the dynamics of gentrification within the intersections of creative industries, urban (re)development, and social exclusion, with a focus on Ljubljana, Slovenia. It investigates the transformation of the Rog factory and its surrounding area—from an industrial site to an autonomous squatter zone and, finally, to a creative hub. Central to our analysis is the sensory dimension of urban regeneration. We introduce the concept of sensory gentrification to articulate the changing distribution of the sensible. Our argument posits the aesthetic, affective and sensory transformations implicated in gentrification as more than mere spatial rearrangements. Instead, we assert that the spatial rearrangements produce corresponding forms of social subjectivity. Through this lens, the paper shows how the gentrification of Rog recuperated the surplus politics of the squatting community—its anti-hegemonic political ideas and practices—incorporating them into the surplus value production of the newly established creative center.
Keywords: gentrification, the senses, aestheticization, social exclusion, urban squatting, creative industries, Ljubljana, Rog
... The culture of consumption emerges as a critical component of the socioeconomic structure in modern societies. This culture transcends the realm of mere economic activity, transforming consumption into an ideological system that influences various domains, from individuals' daily lives to the construction of social status (Featherstone, 2007). At this juncture, graphic design stands out as a pivotal tool that shapes the visual language of consumer culture and reproduces societal meanings. ...
This study examines how consumer culture is reproduced through advertising visuals in the context of graphic design. Three different advertisements were selected, and the graphic design elements used in these visuals (such as color, composition, and symbols) were analyzed in terms of their impact on consumer perception. Employing the semiotic analysis method, the study reveals that advertising visuals are not merely aesthetic tools but also carriers of ideological and social meanings. The findings indicate that graphic design elements effectively convey the ideological messages of consumer culture and establish profound symbolic connections between brands and consumers. Additionally, the role of graphic design has become more prominent in the digital era, evolving into an interactive and multi-layered structure within modern consumer culture. This study underscores the critical function of graphic design as a communication tool that not only creates visual aesthetics but also shapes social values and consumer behaviors. In conclusion, advertising visuals are evaluated as strategic tools in the reproduction of consumer culture, contributing to theoretical and applied studies in this field.
... Foi nesse contexto que alguns autores (García Canclini, 2015;Kellner, 2003) propuseram a emergência de uma identidade "pós-moderna", que seria menos resistente a mudanças, menos estável e estaria baseada numa relação mais livre do indivíduo com sua própria imagem por meio do consumo, do lazer, de referenciais midiáticos e do jogo com aparências e papéis sociais. Ainda que o debate sobre a pós-modernidade tenha se enfraquecido (Featherstone, 2007), consideramos que essa concepção sobre a identidade pode ser útil para abordar as representações de si, em plataformas de redes sociais, relacionadas com a ativação de arquétipos. Como observamos nos vídeos da categoria Narrativa da transformação, a transformação identitária que os arquétipos alegadamente viabilizam é narrada e registrada no TikTok por meio de mudanças na aparência -mudança no estilo de roupa, uso de maquiagens, poses mais provocativas. ...
Cunhado originalmente pelo psicanalista Carl Jung, o conceito de arquétipo tem sido apropriado por coaches e criadores de conteúdos relacionados ao mercado esotérico e de autoajuda para vender cursos, consultorias e produtos midiáticos com foco em desenvolvimento pessoal. Em passos simples, se ensina como ativar arquétipos que, segundo se acredita, podem influenciar nosso modo de ser e de agir, favorecendo a obtenção de ganhos pessoais e profissionais. Neste artigo, temos como objetivo entender como tais profissionais promovem, por meio da apropriação comercial do conceito de arquétipo, rituais de consumo e formas de apresentação do self em plataformas de redes sociais. Para isso, realizamos um estudo exploratório com base em 21 vídeos a respeito de arquétipos publicados no TikTok. Observamos que o fenômeno inspira representações de si nas plataformas e combina duas disposições: a promessa de que podemos ser nossa melhor versão e de que podemos ser tudo o que quisermos.
... Bu bağlamda, dijital medya ekosisteminde yenilik fetişizmi, tüketim kültürünün dinamikleriyle birleşerek bireylerin kimlik inşası, sosyal hiyerarşi ve aidiyet duygularını şekillendiren önemli bir unsur haline gelmiştir (Featherstone, 1991). Yeniliğin sembolik gücü, bireylerin tüketim pratiklerini yönlendiren psikolojik ve sosyolojik faktörlerle desteklenmektedir. ...
... Bu bağlamda, dijital medya ekosisteminde yenilik fetişizmi, tüketim kültürünün dinamikleriyle birleşerek bireylerin kimlik inşası, sosyal hiyerarşi ve aidiyet duygularını şekillendiren önemli bir unsur haline gelmiştir (Featherstone, 1991). Yeniliğin sembolik gücü, bireylerin tüketim pratiklerini yönlendiren psikolojik ve sosyolojik faktörlerle desteklenmektedir. ...
... In this context, Mike Featherstone, in his study of consumer culture, emphasizes the need to reshape traditions and cultural structures to produce new symbolic products. In this process, cultural experts transform the relationship between symbols and values by transferring meaning (Featherstone, 2007). Similarly, Erving Goffman, through his dramaturgical approach, addresses how individuals reconstruct social roles through performance. ...
Digitalization stands out as an important factor transforming social structures and forms of communication in today's society. Social media offers a socio-political ground for participatory democracy and an alternative to traditional media in a globalizing world. Recently, Israel's attack on Gaza and the massive genocide in the region have caused a great resonance on the internet and social media. The aim of this study is to examine the censorship mechanisms applied by social media platforms during Israel's attacks on Gaza. The main question of the research is how social media censorship mechanisms affect freedom of expression and digital activism. As a result of the research, it has been observed that since the first days of the war, especially on Facebook and Instagram, posts were removed biasedly, and the accounts of people who frequently posted such posts were slowed down, and their posts were algorithmically blocked from being seen. As a result of this process, users have tried to overcome this situation with visuals such as watermelons and olives, symbols associated with Gaza. Contradicting the idea that alternative new media creates a libertarian space, it created great disappointment and damaged the trust of users. The importance of the research lies in its demonstration of the effects of censorship on freedom of expression and digital activism in social media. The study will examine social media censorship in Gaza in detail through using a literature review methodology and discussing relevant figures. As a result, we will present examples of the efforts of social media users who are algorithmically censored, which we call symbolic subversion, to overcome this situation with symbols.
... To be sure, young people are known globally for their desire and consumption of global commodities (Featherstone 1991;Nyamnjoh 2005). In this paper, we are interested in looking at the ways young Pentecostal men in Zimbabwe have responded to the dual pressures of socioeconomic uncertainty and expectations of conspicuous consumption. ...
Pentecostal charismatic churches that preach prosperity gospel in Zimbabwe have attracted a youthful membership. In the context of a deeply uncertain economic future, young Pentecostal Christians devise performativity strategies for optimizing their chances of converting prosperity gospel into material prosperity. These strategies include sartorial elegance in adorning counterfeit suits, the performance of obedience, and the use of social media technologies. The picture that emerges is a complex and at times contradictory one in which the potential realization of upward spiritual and social mobility rests, ultimately, on the transformative and volatile nature of value. Data for this project was collected in Harare through ethnographic research and interviews over a year-long period.
... Sob esta linha de pensamento, as cidades, motivadas pelas dinâmicas recentes do capitalismo "tardio" ou "avançado", ficaram marcadas pela estetização do quotidiano, por uma cultura de diversão e de consumo conspícuo, ostentatório, de inflação e de banalização (Lopes, 2002). Assim, a cidade pós-moderna tornou-se num local de hiperconsumo experiencial, cada vez mais mercantilizada (Lipovetsky & Charles, 2004;Zukin, 1995), um centro de consumo de entretenimento, sobrecarregado de sinais e de imagens que tornaram todos os elementos em objetos de interesse, ou seja, um objeto para o "olhar turístico" (Featherstone, 2007). ...
... Theoretical approaches converge on the idea of transforming historic cities into centres of consumption and entertainment, of sampling the intangible. They, therefore, become space-times of experiential hyper-consumption (Lipovetsky & Charles, 2004;Zukin, 1995) overloaded with signs and images that increasingly transform elements within a city into mere objects of interest to the "tourist gaze" (Featherstone, 2007;Urry, 2002). In effect, what is being suggested is that tourism, the great metaphor for postmodernity (Bauman, 1998(Bauman, /1999, has appropriated and capitalised on the uniqueness, identity, memory and authenticity of space and time -the historical, the social, lived experience and life experienced. ...
This text explores some angles of touristic time in Porto and how it affects the passage of time in the city and the time experienced by its residents. This short journey back in time through Porto, an attempt is made to describe and reflect upon three main eras: that of a city enchanted by tourism, a time marked by fantasy, growth, and wonder; the decline of the city brought about by a drastic decrease in the number of tourists due 104 THE TOURIST ERA IN THE CITY OF PORTO... to constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic; and the city on hold, waiting for the pandemic to blow over and desperately awaiting the return of the hustle and bustle of tourism. The text discusses some of the implications of touristic time and how it can be less favourable to time experienced by people and employed by social and economic projects aiming for rapid tourist conversions. This conclusion is a common thread through studies conducted in tourism, leading to discussions about the (un)sustain-ability of voracious tourism, made even more pressing by the pandemic and the resulting future starting to materialise in terms of experiential tourism mobility and interaction.
... In addition to these perspectives, Featherstone [1999] and Böhme [2016: 142] expand the discussion of civic pride by exploring the role of everyday aesthetics in urban environments. Featherstone argues that the blurred line between reality and imagery in modern society has led to the rise of "life aesthetics," where people seek to integrate aesthetic sensibility into daily life. ...
In recent years, the role of civic pride and aesthetic experiences in fostering sustainable regional development has become a focus of research, particularly in communities facing economic and social challenges. This study examines how residents’ daily aesthetic experiences impact their sense of civic pride to support effective regional revitalization strategies. Focusing on Xiuwu County in China and Chishang Township in Taiwan—two regions with shared cultural roots but distinct administrative histories. This research uses questionnaire surveys as the primary method to analyze the influence of aesthetic experiences on civic pride. Factor analysis identified “community involvement” and “regional identity” as essential factors of civic pride in both areas, though the factors shaping aesthetic experiences differed; Xiuwu’s civic pride is strongly linked to natural landscapes and local customs, while Chishang’s is closely associated with local identity and self-expression. Regression analysis further proves a significant contribution of daily aesthetic experiences to civic pride, underscoring the importance of incorporating residents’ aesthetic engagement in regional revitalization policies. These findings suggest that aligning policy with residents’ aesthetic values and local identity can foster community engagement and strengthen sustainable development, offering valuable guidance for creating culturally resonant, community-focused strategies.
... Within the context of "consumer culture" (Featherstone 1991) we live in, promotional discourse and advertising play a fundamental role. The intention of both advertising and promoting is to "hook" consumers and, to a certain extent, manipulate them (Jarowska 2020): this can be achieved through specific linguistic features that grab audiences' attention, such as slogans, neologisms, use of forms of engagement (especially the personal pronoun you), and repetitions (Musté, Stuart, and Botella 2015). ...
The number of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is still limited compared to men, and one of the reasons for this is the lack of women’s sense of inclusion and belonging within engineering contexts. It has been argued that such a sense of inclusion and belonging might be developed by exposing girls to STEM with specific activities, games, and toys from a young age. This case study explores how the US toy manufacturer GoldieBlox Inc. addresses and includes young children, specifically girls, in the promotion of their products. GoldieBlox is a company that specifically targets girls to encourage their interest in STEM subjects, namely science, technology, and mathematics. Through a close reading and a qualitative analysis of the company’s webpages, this paper explores the links between consumerism, gender, belonging, and promotional language. Under the linguistic lens of dialogicity, I analyse how girls are addressed and included in STEM through the promotion of specific products.
... In this regard, the act of continually updating one's style through the acquisition of trendy clothing reflects not only a desire for self-expression, but also a deeper engagement with the postmodern ethos of fluidity and fragmentation (Bardhi & Eckhardt, 2017). In liquid societies, where fixed identities are often eschewed in favour of more malleable and transient self-conceptions, fashion becomes a crucial medium through which individuals navigate and construct their identities (Featherstone, 2007). This process is further reinforced by the proliferation of fast fashion brands that cater to the ever-changing tastes and preferences of consumers, enabling them to continually reinvent themselves. ...
Fashion, which has always played an important role in the economy and culture of many countries, is a sector with a high environmental impact, responsible for significant water consumption and the production of a large amount of waste. In particular, fast fashion, a business model based on offering consumers new, cheap and trendy products, seems to be one of the main drivers of the constant quest for innovation in fashion products, with a consequent increase in the environmental and social impacts of this policy. Among the companies in the sector, the SHEIN platform, founded in China in 2008 under the name Zzko, has become a real competitor to global industry giants such as Inditex and H&M, leading to a business model that can be defined as ultra-fast fashion. The article presents the results of a qualitative research project aimed at understanding the consumption model, purchasing motivations and possible concerns about sustainability of young female Italian consumers who use the platform. To this end, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of university students, who are SHEIN customers, to identify their main purchasing motivations, their consumption habits, and the importance they attribute to sustainability issues. The results show that the main drivers for the platform success are the low price of the clothes and the wide variety of styles available. Students also proved to be quite sensitive to the issue of the company's unsustainable production practices, although this awareness does not automatically translate into a decision to stop buying the brand's products.
... Sport, the gym, and weight training environments are spaces where individuals can engage in self-work and refine their bodies and muscularity as part of the construction and enactment of subcultural identities (andreasson, 2014;coquet et al. 2016;Monaghan, 1999;Smith Maguire, 2008). Modifying, maintaining, or improving body aesthetics and performance through dieting, going to the gym, and weight training represent 'body work' (coffey, 2015;gimlin, 2007;Shilling, 2011), which becomes part of a body project (Featherstone, 1991;giddens, 1991;Shilling, 2013). Body projects themselves, however, are not an end point, but instead they are an ongoing process of identity work that secures 'a sense of who one is and who one wants to be' (Orbach, 2009, p. 237). ...
The current study explored muscularity and weight training’s role as capital in people’s identities across various contexts. Eleven weight trainers from two gyms were interviewed (three females, eight males) about their desires for muscularity and the role it played in their lives. Thematic narrative analysis identified narratives that framed the individuals’ muscular desires, behaviours, and importance. Muscularity formed a versatile resource—identity capital—that was a key part of the individuals’ body projects. These body projects and identity capital facilitated the individuals’ identity performances in a range of contexts (e.g. occupation, gender). Three narratives emerged (individualist, illusionist, and promoter) that highlighted the intertwined tangible (e.g. leanness and strength) and intangible (e.g. control and self-empowerment) attributes associated with muscularity and weight training that facilitated successful identity performances. These narratives achieved goals of self-empowerment (Individualist), self-protection (Illusionist), or self-advertisement (Promoter) which enabled successful identity performances. The current findings advance existing literature by suggesting muscularity is a versatile form of identity capital that can facilitate multiple identities (e.g. occupation, gender) and contexts. The potential benefit to an individuals’ sense of self also highlights the positive effect of muscularity weight training as a tool for self-promotion and personal growth.
... The nature and depth of the transformation can be debated, but the transformation cannot be denied (Huyssen 1991, 355). Even the word postmodernity, which is used to describe this transformation, can be considered evidence of the transformation, because despite the meaning of the concept of definition, there are as many definitions of postmodernity as there are postmodernists (Featherstone 1991). More interestingly, the term postmodernity refers to a relational position. ...
Popülizm dünyanın üçte birinde iktidar olduğu bir altın çağı yaşıyor. Popülist figürlerin sayısı ve artan oy oranlarıyla uyumlu bir şekilde popülizm başlığı altındaki akademik çalışmalar gün geçtikçe büyüyor. Bugüne kadar "demokrasinin hayaleti" "kültürel geri dönüş" ve "küreselleşmenin kaybedenleri" gibi ana akım tezlerin yanında finanstan felsefeye kadar uzanan geniş bir yelpazede üretilen fikirler bu boştan çıkarmayı anlamlandırmayı deniyor. Ancak popülizmin küresel cazibesi gizemini koruyor çünkü hiçbir girişim hem çağdaş hem de tarihsel popülist vakaları kucaklamayı başaramıyor, ayakkabı Cindirella'ya uymuyor. Bu tez üç aşamalı bir argümantasyon ile bu gediği kapatmayı hedefliyor. İlk olarak siyasal iletişimi merkeze alan bir popülizm anlayışından beslenerek popülist figürlerin iz bıraktığı tüm tarihsel ufukları kapsayan bir okuma öneriyor. İkinci aşamada bu tarihsel duraklarda sıklıkla tekrar eden iletişim pratiklerin varlığına işaret ederek popülizmi başarıya götüren asıl aktörü -iletişim stratejilerini- analiz ediyor. Son olarak ortaya çıkan popülist iletişim repertuarının post modern dönüşümün hayatın her alanında yarattığı fırsat yapılarıyla kusursuza yakın bir birliktelik kurduğunu gözler önüne sererek bugünlerde Peru'da Filipinler'e dünyanın her yerinden birer birer fırlayan popülist hareketlerin var oluşuna yekpare bir anlam sağlıyor. Çağdaş popülizm ne bir hayaleti andırıyor ne de sarhoş bir misafire benziyor. Popülist figürlerin post modern hanemizin yeni paydaşları olduğu gerçeği, popülizmi kabul etmek, dönüştürmek ve yenmek için yeni yollara ihtiyaç olduğunu ve inkâr edilemez kılıyor. Anahtar Kelimeler: Popülizm, Siyasal iletişim, Postmodernite, Fırsat Yapıları
In the new decade, populism is experiencing a golden age when it is in power in a third of the world. In line with the number of populist figures and the increasing share of the vote, academic studies under the heading of populism are growing day by day. To date, mainstream theses such as "the ghost of democracy", "the cultural backlash" and "the losers of globalization", as well as ideas from finance to philosophy, have attempted to make sense of this hollowing out, but the global appeal of populism remains a mystery because no attempt to embrace both contemporary and historical populist phenomena – shoe of Cinderella. In this thesis I aim to close this gap with a three-stage argumentation. First, I propose a reading that encompasses all the historical horizons left by populist figures by drawing on an understanding of populism centered on political communication. In the second stage, I point to the existence of communication practices that recur frequently at these historical eras and analyzes the main actor that drives populism to success - communication strategies. Finally, by revealing the near-perfect coexistence of the populist communication repertoire with the opportunity structures created by the postmodern transformation in all spheres of life, I provide a unified meaning for the existence of populist movements that are now popping up all over the world from Americas to Far-East. Contemporary populism neither resembles a ghost nor a drunken guest. The fact that populist figures are the new stakeholders in our postmodern household makes it undeniable that new ways to acknowledge, transform and defeat populism are needed. Keywords: Populism, Political communication, Postmodernity, Opportunity Structures
... In dit opzicht is materiële consumptie een belangrijker element van smaken en levensstijlen geworden. Er wordt dan ook vaak beweerd dat we tegenwoordig leven in een consumer culture (Featherstone 1991;Slater 1997;Berger 2004). Materiële consumptie wordt, vooral sinds de jaren negentig, steeds meer bestudeerd vanuit een cultureel of psychologisch perspectief en minder als een fenomeen dat als een min of meer directe afspiegeling van beschikbare hulpbronnen (of klasseverschillen) moet worden gezien (Campbell 1995). ...
Sinds Bourdieu worden smaakpatronen vaak ingedeeld in meer cultureel georiënteerde voorkeuren enerzijds en meer economisch of materieel georiënteerde anderzijds. Verschillende auteurs wijzen erop dat deze tweedeling vervaagt; ‘anything goes’ dus waarom zou de postmoderne consument zich nog wat aan dit onderscheid gelegen laten liggen? Tegelijk wordt interesse in legitieme cultuur echter steeds minder gangbaar onder de welvarende leden van de hogere statusgroepen, wat zou kunnen betekenen dat intensieve materiële en culturele consumptie juist minder vaak hand in hand gaan. Dit artikel laat zien dat de samenhang tussen materiële en culturele consumptie niet zonder meer is toe-?of afgenomen. Het consumptiepatroon van de cultureel meest actieve groep Nederlanders heeft zich anders ontwikkeld dan het patroon van degenen die juist in economisch opzicht tot de bovenlaag behoren.
Theoretical narratives relating to the aging body in social gerontology are slowly developing. While the “body” as a concept implies an objectified and “natural” entity, the body is now beginning to be viewed as increasingly complex. We all inhibit a specific, gendered, human body. The body, at once, is our means of freedom and location of our enslavement. Indeed, the importance of the body to gerontology is in many ways obvious. For example, the body in pain, illness, can limit functions of the body and this can have effects that stimulates the interest of social gerontologists of all backgrounds globally.
It can be seen that studies on the phenomenon of consumption focus on the relationship between humans and the phenomenon of consumption and attempt to understand the place of consumption on the psychological, social and economic plane. Humanity, which consumes and accumulates excess or beyond its needs, also realizes the irreparable dimension of the depleting nature and its elements. In this context, ecological fashion, which has emerged as a sensitivity in recent years, and studies in this field will reveal whether sustainable fashion is possible or not. H&M, a ready-to-wear brand that produces for women, men and children, has in recent years become the representative of ecological fashion with its products produced from recycled and natural materials. In this context, in this study, a semiotic analysis was made of the section on the brand's website where environmentally harmless products defined as "sustainability" are included and the production and distribution processes are explained in detail. The combination of visual elements and selected texts used while explaining the process reveals the difference of ecological fashion from the existing fashion concept and the features presented as "alternative". The analysis shows that the approach, which carries out its activities with the slogan of sustainable fashion and stands out with its environmentally friendly and harmless features, also tries to make "consumption" sustainable. The fact that the production and distribution processes of the products are quite different and "innocent" has turned into a campaign that makes it necessary to choose them in this context. The steps taken with ecological concern and the need for a new market and customer give a new tone to capitalism's most popular color, speed and insatiability
Le mode de vie est l’un des facteurs les plus importants du
progrès de l’homme dans tous les domaines tant personnel,
familial, national, international qu’environnemental, et dans
toutes les dimensions de la vie, notamment cultuelle,
intellectuelle, culturelle, scientifique, économique, politique,
sociale, sanitaire, nutritionnelle, vestimentaire, etc. En effet,
pour assurer le progrès de la vie humaine, les religions, les
écoles dogmatiques, les sectes et les écoles de pensée proposent
des modes et des programmes de vie qui sont soit spécifiques à
certains domaines ou dimensions de la vie ou qui sont
incomplets. Cependant, le saint Coran a présenté à l’humanité
un style de vie plus avancé contenant un programme cohérent
dans tous les domaines et dimensions de la vie humaine. Dans
ce mode de vie, l’attention est portée sur les aspects matériels et
spirituels de l’homme afin d’assurer son bonheur dans ce
monde, au purgatoire et dans l’au-delà. Selon le Saint Coran
dans une famille idéale, la religion, le caractère sacré de la
famille, la licéité et la légalité des relations sexuelles, le code
vestimentaire, le respect de droits et le respect mutuel entre les
membres de la famille, le caractère sacré de la naissance d’un
enfant légitime, l’éducation, l’unité, la coopération et l’affection,
la proportionnalité, la justice et l’égalité entre les droits des
hommes et des femmes ont une place prépondérante. Le mode
de vie coranique dans le domaine de la famille est dans la
plupart de cas complètement compatible avec le développement
de la technologie du monde contemporain
یکی از مهمترین عوامل پیشرفت بشر در همه حوزههای فردی، خانوادگی، ملی، بین المللی، محیط زیستی و ... و در همه ابعاد عبادی، فکری، فرهنگی، علمی، اقتصادی، سیاسی، اجتماعی، بهداشتی، تفریحی، تغذیهای، پوششی، سکونتی و ...، نوع سبک زندگی است. ادیان، مذاهب، مکاتب، ایدئولوژیها و ... برای پیشرفت زندگی بشر، سبکها و برنامههایی را پیشنهاد مینمایند که یا به برخی از حوزهها یا ابعاد اختصاص دارند و یا ناقص هستند، ولی قرآن کریم در قالب دین اسلام سبکی از زندگی پیشرفته را به بشریت عرضه نموده است که در همه حوزهها و ابعاد زندگی انسان، دارای برنامه کامل و منسجم است. در این سبک از زندگی، به جنبه مادی و جنبه معنوی انسان توجه شده و سعادتمندی او در این جهان، جهان برزخ و جهان آخرت، تضمین و تأمین شده است. در این سبک زندگی، نهاد خانواده در همه یا بیشتر حوزهها و ابعاد، محوریت دارد و تأکید فراوانی بر تشکیل، حفظ و پیشرفت آن، شده است. از نگاه قرآن کریم، در خانواده پیشرفته، دیانت، قداست خانواده، قانونمندی بهره جنسی و پوشش، رعایت حقوق و احترام متقابل، قداست تولید، پرورش و مشروعیت فرزند، اتحاد، تعاون و مهرورزی و تناسب و عدالت در حقوق مرد و زن قابل مشاهده است. سبک زندگی قرآنی در حوزه خانواده، به گونهای است که در بسیاری از موارد، با تکنولوژی و فناوری روز جهانی، سازگاری کامل دارد و با آن در تعارض کامل نیست.
Today’s culture is predominantly motivated by the urge to produce and consume. Consumption is becoming a defining characteristic in contemporary life. Kazuo Ishiguro is a well-known literary figure whose works explore memory, knowledge, and complex human relationship. This study examines the consumption of genetic engineering in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (2005). Donna Haraway's influential theory A Cyborg Manifesto (1985) is employed in the study as its conceptual framework. The study explores the landscape of Ishiguro's dystopian world, where human clones try to understand their existence as both subjects and objects of consumption. In Never Let Me Go, clones are made to donate their organs, stripping them of their humanity. This is consistent with Haraway's criticism of how technology objectifies people. This study aims to elucidate how Haraway's theory can be utilized to inform and enrich the understanding of the characters' experiences in Never Let Me Go. The theoretical framework draws extensively from Haraway's work on the cyborg as a hybrid entity, blurring the boundaries between human and machine. The scope of the research extends beyond literary analysis to encompass broader cultural and philosophical implications of cyborg consumption. This study concludes that the human escalating need for more products results in the grave pain and inhuman treatment of the characters in the novel. The only way to treat people equally is to prioritize humanism over consumption. The study, is then, significant to writers, readers, and academics who grapple with the complex relationship between humanity and human production.
Department stores have served as significant commercial and cultural institutions, transforming retail systems, consumption patterns, and people’s tastes in many countries since the late 1840s, when the first department store emerged in Paris. However, the adaptation of their business models and influence varied depending on social contexts. This article examines Japanese department stores from the 1900s to the 1930s, focusing on the role of restaurants within these establishments. Department store restaurants not only redefined the customer experience through innovative food services but also played a crucial role in reshaping the business itself. Central to this transformation were the waitresses, often referred to as “restaurant girls,” whose emotional labor became integral to the department store’s operations. Their work introduced the incorporation of personality into business management, highlighting how the performance of personality—both gendered and productive—was leveraged in the modern commercial world.
Apoiando-se no tripé teórico que engloba os estudos do envelhecimento, a cibercultura e os estudos das interfaces comunicação e consumo, esta dissertação toma os smartphones como objeto empírico para discutir o consumo e a apropriação dos dispositivos inteligentes na vida cotidiana de mulheres de 60 e 80 anos, de classes média e média alta, residentes na cidade de São Paulo. Partindo da hipótese que o aparelho é um elemento facilitador das conexões destas pessoas com família e amigos, vislumbramos que o smartphone se destaca como meio de comunicação deste público. Entendendo que, em uma perspectiva contemporânea, o binômio idoso e tecnologias inteligentes já não pode ser considerado paradoxal, nosso estudo pretende trazer à tona os significados culturais atribuídos aos smartphones e o papel desempenhado pelas idosas nas práticas de consumo associadas ao artefato. Neste sentido, compreendemos que uma das formas de envelhecer que marcam o século XXI pressupõe a existência do que temos chamado nesta dissertação de uma “velhice conectada”. Nossa pesquisa se desenvolveu em três etapas – revisão bibliográfica; sondagem online e entrevistas pessoais; e análise crítica. A análise crítica de cunho cultural e reflexivo conclui que velhice e tecnologia podem efetivamente caminhar lado a lado e que a incorporação ou não de dispositivos inteligentes na vida cotidiana de idosas não é uma questão atrelada exclusivamente à idade cronológica, mas encontra-se calcada em variáveis como história pessoal e profissional; estilo de vida; interesses pessoais e aspirações.
משבר האנתרופוקן כרוך לבלי התר בתרבות הצריכה של הקפיטליזם המאוחר, המבכרת צריכת יתר של סחורות חדשות ודוחקת אל השוליים חפצים מתיישנים שנושלו מהילתם בכלכלת הסימנים. המאמר בוחן את הציר שבין אספנות לאגרנות – פרקטיקות יומיומיות שמוצאות באובייקט ערך שחותר תחת מקומו השגור בתרבות הצריכה. הדיון במטריאליזמים החדשים, שדה ידע המבקש להגדיר מחדש את היחס בין אדם לחומר, משרטט את האספנות – וביתר שאת את האגרנות – כמרחב שבו ההבחנה בין האנושי ללא־אנושי מושהית, מתערערת ולעיתים גם קורסת. מעבר לעיסוק בפסיכולוגיה של האגרנות, תופעה שנדונה בעבר אצל הוגות מן המטריאליזמים החדשים, המאמר מתמקד דווקא באובייקט של האגרנות: הגבבה. הגבבה כופה עלינו תפיסה שאינה מתעקשת על אובייקט מוגדר ומבודד שנושא זהות אוטונומית, אלא מציעה מבט מערכתי על קשרים אנושיים ולא־אנושיים הפועלים זה עם זה בלי שנוכל להפריד ביניהם. כך הגבבה, חומריות שאינה מופיעה עוד בכניעותה ההיררכית לסדר ולהיגיון אנושי, טומנת בחובה פוטנציאל למבט שאינו אנתרופוצנטרי על חומר.
Bu makalede tıbbın, sekülerleşme kavramı çerçevesinde din ile olan ilişkisi ve sosyo-ekonomik çıkar ilişkileri çerçevesinde nasıl tıbbileştirildiği ele alınmıştır. Sekülerleşme süreciyle birlikte tıbbileştirme süreçlerinin de araçları değişmiştir. Daha önceleri dinin (daha çok Hristiyanlığın) etkisi ve yönlendirmesiyle yürütülen tıbbileştirme süreci günümüzde medyanın teknoloji ile iş birliği çerçevesinde yürütülmektedir. Dinin dokunulmazlık zırhını takınan bilim, tıbbileştirme sürecinde önemli bir araç olarak istismar edilmektedir. Buradaki amacımız, tıbbın süreç içerisinde sekülerleşirken nasıl tıbbileştirildiğini ve bu iki kavram arasındaki ilişki ve etkileşimi ortaya koyarak bir farkındalık yaratmaktır. Böyle bir farkındalığın yaratılması ile tıbbın kamu yararı için daha fazla katkı sunacağına inanmaktayız. Makalede “soykütük” yaklaşımından yola çıkılarak eleştirel bir bakış açısı ortaya konurken, hermenötik yaklaşımı çerçevesinde ise makalenin konusu anlaşılmaya ve yorumlanmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu makalede alanyazın taramasından hareketle tıbbın tıbbileştirilmesi ve sekülerleştirilmesi görünür kılınmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmada ilk olarak dinin, sekülerleşme ve tıbbileştirme ile olan ilişkisi ele alınmıştır. Daha sonra ise dinin de bir parçası olduğu kültürün, söz konusu iki kavramla ilişkisi üzerinde durulmuştur. Bir sonraki aşamada tıbbileştirme kavramı üzerinde durularak tıbbileştirme sürecinde medya ve tıbbın iş birliği gözler önüne serilmiştir. Yine devamında medyanın beden algısına müdahalede bulunarak tıbbileştirme sürecine nasıl katkı sunduğu ortaya konmuştur. Son olarak tıbbileştirme ve sekülerleşmenin beden üzerinden nasıl inşa edildiği vurgulanarak çalışma sonlandırılmıştır. Daha önceleri din adamlarının etkisi altında şekillenen tıp, sekülerleşme süreciyle birlikte bilimin denetimi altına girmiştir. Ancak güç istenci uğruna hastalığın inşa edilme sürecinde bir değişiklik yaşanmamıştır. Geçmişte din adamlarının etkisi altında inşa edilen hastalık süreci tıbbın sekülerleşmesiyle birlikte günümüzde bilim aracılığıyla inşa edilmeye devam etmektedir. Tıp, bundan sonraki süreçte de din ve bilim dışında farklı toplumsal kurumların etkisi altında şekillenme sürecine girse de insan doğasının bir parçası olan güç istenci sebebiyle hastalığın inşa edilme sürecinde bir değişiklik yaşanmayacaktır. Tıbbın sekülerleşmesiyle birlikte tıbbileştirilme süreci daha da hız kazanmıştır. Tıbbileştirme sürecinin yeni araçlarından olan medya, sağlık hizmetlerinin zaman zaman gerçek amacının dışında hareket etmesine yol açmaktadır. Bu sebeple sağlık hizmetleri, hükümetlerce daha sıkı denetlenmeli ve ticari bir araç olmaktan çıkartılmalıdır. Tıbbileştirme sürecine katkı sunan tüm araçlar kontrol altına alınarak insan sağlığı korunmalıdır. Sekülerleşme öncesinde sağlık hizmetleri üzerine fikir beyan eden din adamları ağır şekilde eleştirilirken günümüzde, manipüle edilmiş tıbbi bilgiler aracılığıyla insan bedeninin istismar edilmesi etik durmamaktadır. Tıbbileştirme sürecine katkı sunan ve bundan sonra da sunacak olan tüm araçların deşifre edilmesine katkı sağlayacak yeni çalışmalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Bilimin böyle bir amaç için araçsallaştırılması, sağlık hizmetlerinin gerçek amacı dışında hareket etmesini engelleyecektir.
The topic of the research arises from the growing importance of consumption in the economic, social and spatial context of modern cities. Similarly to other post-socialist cities, Belgrade is being transformed from a production to a consumer centre and its commercial functions are growing. The dissertation seeks to identify regularities in the spatial distribution of consumer activities in Belgrade. The primary task is to throw light on three key elements – the socioeconomic characteristics of the population, the time distance and the mobility area, which influence the spatial behaviour of consumers. The research relies on the data obtained in a survey on the local daily mobility of the population in the territory covered by the General Plan; the survey covered 6,367 households and was conducted in 2015. Based on a statistical analysis, the relations between central and peripheral municipalities in terms of the socioeconomic status were determined, the travel distribution according to purpose and according to space for individual municipalities was examined, and the travel duration for various purposes and modes was established. The main part of the research consists of the spatial analyses of the mobility patterns for primary and consumer purposes, based on the mapping of phenomena and their interpretation. The principles of interzonal movement are determined by the rules of development axes, the centre–periphery relationship and the attraction zones, whereas intrazonal movements are determined by the rules of the zone population size and the intrazonal facility infrastructure. The most important regularity observed in the spatial mobility patterns is the attractive force of attraction zones, typical of both interzonal and intrazonal movements. A local orientation in consumer movement is another key feature. Due to a local orientation, the spatial mobility pattern for the purpose of shopping indicates the dispersion of this activity. It is demonstrated that the inhabitants of central and peripheral municipalities behave similarly in the urban space: in both groups, the dominant mobility factor is the gravitational significance of the neighbourhood. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the specific spatial features of the different parts of the city have a determining influence on mobility patterns.
The impact of the globalising cultural trends on diverse national cultures has become one of the central issues of recent sociological debates. Globalization is often seen as hegemonic; however, the complex local-global dialectics has created social phenomena that can not be analysed only in a global or a local perspective. The city becomes an interesting analysis stand point in the sense that it concentrates the main characteristics of late capitalism, but also becomes a privileged stage of intense and diversified cultural demonstrations, thus they can be consider a convergence point between the global and the local – a network’s node. Icons of an urban cultural identity, contemporary art galleries, as strong symbols of the city’s glocal features are rich contexts of analysis of the globalization trends. Therefore, in this paper designed as a social, political and economic analysis of the context in which contemporary art galleries are created, we interpret the specific incorporation of common global trends into the construction of glocalised projects. In this analysis, we use two case studies: the transformation of a private Art Deco Villa into the Fundação de Serralves, in Porto, and the renewal of the Palace of Exhibitions that used to celebrate the Soviet regime into the Contemporary Art Centre, in Vilnius. Although Serralves is a legal private organization, it is a public art institution. The exploration of the multiple layers of the private/public relations meaning is possible, in order to understand the extension in time and social scope of its patronage of contemporary art function. A different outline was made on the CAC analysis: from a Soviet art institution with the purpose of controlling and propaganda, to a gallery focused exclusively on what is new. This clear cut with the past produced several tensions – upstream with the artists and downstream with the audience. By combining the deterritorialisation tendency of globalization and the re-territorialisation of localization, these two European cultural institutions address the dialectic nature of the connection between global and local trends in the construction and reconstruction of contemporary urban environments – localized globalisms.
This article analyzes the symbolic power and locations of travel bloggers in the global cultural economy by linking the theories and approaches of cultural intermediaries, cosmopolitanism and tourist studies. Drawing on netnographic methodology and narrative analysis of Chinese social media accounts, this article further examines how travel bloggers convert world landscapes and self-presentations into mediascapes providing consumable content as well as life-styles for local audiences. A Chinese perspective is contributed by having the discussion connecting travel with other mobilities. We propose that the travel bloggers and their productions are the evidence of cultural traveling and transformation.
Market studies is a newly emerging field dedicated to understanding the origins, core concepts, theories and methods currently being used and developed to examine markets in the making. Providing a unique overview that introduces, positions and develops this highly fertile area of research, Market Studies is the first book to consolidate its themes, tools and methods in a single, comprehensive volume. Topics covered include: market organization and design; performativity in and around markets; valuation; market places and spaces; methods that may be utilized in studying markets; the field's relation to adjacent disciplines; the future of markets. Deploying a sensitivity for the socio-material constitution of markets, the authors put market practices at the centre of inquiry and offer insights into the future and potential impact of market studies research. The contemporary, practical and interdisciplinary approach is strengthened by multiple examples of original empirical research into markets.
Market studies is a newly emerging field dedicated to understanding the origins, core concepts, theories and methods currently being used and developed to examine markets in the making. Providing a unique overview that introduces, positions and develops this highly fertile area of research, Market Studies is the first book to consolidate its themes, tools and methods in a single, comprehensive volume. Topics covered include: market organization and design; performativity in and around markets; valuation; market places and spaces; methods that may be utilized in studying markets; the field's relation to adjacent disciplines; the future of markets. Deploying a sensitivity for the socio-material constitution of markets, the authors put market practices at the centre of inquiry and offer insights into the future and potential impact of market studies research. The contemporary, practical and interdisciplinary approach is strengthened by multiple examples of original empirical research into markets.
This essay critiques the trend in consumer research that deliberately excludes subjects considered exceptional. Drawing from multiple traditions in sociological literature, we analyse the interaction of factors that create persistent paradoxes in social imaginaries - paradoxes that have also impacted the academic community. While the majority of scholarly publications tend to take a reductionist view of consumer concerns, the vulnerabilities faced by queer groups and sex workers are largely ignored, with sex workers being pushed to the absolute margins. The relentless pursuit of tokenism, quantified by novel contributions or citations, has further marginalized invisible narratives of hope and resilience. The article advocates for a more inclusive approach in the development of new areas of consumer research, particularly in the domains of macro marketing, public policy, and transformational consumer research.
Modernism and postmodernism are two opposed approaches that are directly related to how each human mind sees and perceives the world and how to make it better. In the Greek educational system, in both primary and secondary education, an effort is made to general restructure the curriculum by promoting the use of new teaching methods in the educational process. Through the presentation of the two opposing perspectives the evolution of knowledge into a more complex process, which aims at learning and specialization serving the purposes and goals of a society that moves within a globalized economic environment. The study adopted a qualitative approach through document analysis. Regarding the research, the official texts-legislations from the Ministry of Education and Religions were used as the primary material to ensure the validity and reliability of the data. The documents used concerned the legislation contained in the reforms concerning the education system of Greece. The successful implementation of educational technology in schools does not depend solely on accessibility or the lack of any factor. It depends on a dynamic process that includes several interrelated factors, such as adequate support from managers, the existence of forecasting and planning of the supply chain to keep pace with new technological developments, equitable digital infrastructure of schools, acceptance the usefulness of the use of technology and the continuous information and acquisition of knowledge by teachers concerning information and communication technologies, as well as their correlation with innovative teaching methods. The flow of the study of the reforms of the Greek education system recognizes a smooth transition from the period of modernism to postmodernism, albeit with a delay compared to the rest of Europe. The continuous reforms in education have brought positive results in terms of the transformation of the public good of education into a postmodern version of it. Consistency and the need for improvement are guided by ensuring the quality of education and the preservation of the participants (students, teachers, families, and society) in it. However, it is worth noting that reform changes, which did not have substantial real changes, created an unstable environment, which hurt education itself.
A posztmodern fordulat alapjaiban írja felül a kultúra hagyományos felfogásmódját. A művészet, a technológia és a tudás területén bekövetkező változások általános ismeretelméleti törést eredményeznek, amelyek megingatják az objektivitásba vetett hit korábban megkérdőjelezhetetlen egyeduralmát. Radikális változások mutatkoznak az interpretáció gyakorlatában is. A metanarratívák egyeduralma megtörik, a hangsúly az összegző elméletekről a valóság szubjektív értelemzésmódjaira helyeződik át. A diszkurzív jelleg felerősödése reprezentációs válsághoz vezet, a társadalmi intézmények konstruált jellegére irányítva a figyelmet. Mindez radikálisan újrafogalmazza értékrend és közösségiség hagyományos jelentéstartalmát is. Disszertációmban értékrend és közösségiség posztmodern karakterének feltárására törekszem, a közöttük fennálló lehetséges összefüggéseket, kapcsolódási pontokat vizsgálom. Szándékom a modernitás és a posztmodern kor közötti elmozdulás érzékeltetése, a változások nyomán kibontakozó szemléletmódok, alternatív világlátások eredetének feltárása. Mivel terepmunkámat önszerveződő kisközösségek körében végeztem, ez lehetőséget teremtett egyúttal arra is, hogy a közösségek néhány általános érvényű vonását megfigyelhessem. Ezeket a vonásokat a posztmodern kisközösség lehetséges sajátosságaiként mutatom be. Zárásként kísérletet teszek továbbá a posztmodern embertípus jellemzőinek a bemutatására, amelyet értékrend és közösségiség viszonyrendszerében bekövetkezett változásokból vezetek le. Az angolszász antropológiai hagyomány szellemiségét követő írásom a jelen antropológiája: a hangsúlyt napjaink szociokulturális folyamatainak elemzésére helyezem, elsődleges referenciapontként pedig a posztmodernnek a modernitás eszmerendszeréhez fűződő – rendkívül árnyalt és ellentmondásos – kapcsolatrendszerére összpontosítok. Kulcsszavak: értékrend, közösségiség, életvilág, posztmodern embertípus, kölcsönviszony, értékrendmintázat, személyes identitás és identitáspolitika.
In this chapter, we use the empirical findings of a qualitative sociological research on middle-class consumption and consumerism in Greece before, during, and after the economic crisis (2009/2010–2018). By adopting the bottom-up form of inquiry methodology, we analyze the research subjects’ repertoires of consumer action and discourse, in which their ambivalent attitude towards fashion is highlighted. This attitude seems to move between individualized “conformity” to what is promoted (both by the mainstream fashion system and by users and “creative cultural entrepreneurs” of social media), stylistic preferences and their “creative” appropriation by the subjects. The coexistence of the attitude of “individualized conformity” and “creative appropriation” indicates how the subjects, through consumer practices, seek to construct the self as a skillful chooser, that is, to constitute themselves as worthy subjects, capable of personal, successful choices, and again to prove themselves as “competent consumers”, subjects capable of playing successfully in the field of fashion and consumption.
Mutations in citizenship are crystallized in an ever-shifting landscape shaped by the flows of markets, technologies, and populations. We are moving beyond the citizenship-versus-statelessness model. First, the elements of citizenship (rights, entitlements, etc.) are becoming disarticulated from each other, and becoming re-articulated with universalizing criteria of neoliberalism and human rights. Such ‘global assemblages’ define zones of political entitlements and claims. Second, the space of the ‘assemblage’, rather than the national terrain, becomes the site for political mobilizations by diverse groups in motion. Three contrasting configurations are presented. In the EU zone, unregulated markets and migrant flows challenge liberal citizenship. In Asian zones, foreigners who display self-enterprising savoire faire gain rights and benefits of citizenship. In camps of the disenfranchised or displaced, sheer survival becomes the ground for political claims. Thus, particular constellations shape specific problems and resolutions to questions of contemporary living, further disarticulating and deterritorializing aspects of citizenship.
The critique of Eurocentrism has gone through several rounds. The first round was primarily a critique of Orientalism. Edward Said and Martin Bernal, among others, focused on cultural bias and racism in Eurocentric history. Others addressed Eurocentric biases in development thinking (Samir Amin, Paul Bairoch, Stavrianos) and historiography (Eric Wolf, James Blaut, Jack Goody). In the second round, history from the viewpoint of the global South such as Subaltern Studies in India and revisionist history of Africa contributed different perspectives. In addition, global history generated critical historical studies that document the significance of in particular Asia and the Middle East in the making of the global economy and world society. Janet Abu-Lughod focused on the Middle East, Marshall Hodgson on the world of Islam, K. N. Chauduri on South Asia, Andre Gunder Frank on East and South Asia, Kenneth Pomeranz, Robert Temple and Bin Wong on China, Eric Jones on Japan, and Anthony Reid on Southeast Asia along with many other studies. This body of work not merely critiques but overturns conventional Eurocentric perspectives and implies a profound rethinking of world history that holds major implications for social science and development studies. These studies break the mold of Eurocentric globalization that dominates the globalization literature. Eurocentric globalization is geographically centered on the West and preoccupied with recent history: post-war (in most economics, political science, international relations and cultural studies), post-1800 (most sociology), or post-1500 (Marxist political economy and world system theory). 1 In history curricula the latter periods figure as thèmodern' anearly modern eras'. In this view, the radius of globalization is typically if not invariably from the West outward. The oriental globalization literature adopts a longer time frame and reverses this relationship: the radius is principally from the East outward. In this discussion I review the arguments of oriental globalization in the past and draw out some of their implications. In the second section I turn to contemporary oriental globalization and thèrise of Asia' and discuss the continuities between oriental globalization past and present. Oriental globalization past 2 Arguably, the recent global history literature converges on a single major thesis: the Orient came first and the Occident was a latecomer. Andre Gunder Frank's Re Orient settles on 1400-1800 as the time oAsian hegemony'The two major regions that were most "central" to the world economy were India and China' 1 On social science disciplines in relation to globalization studies and the periodization of globalization, see Nederveen Pieterse 2004a, chapters 1 and 4. 2 An earlier version of this section appears in Theory Culture and Society, 2005.
Studies into the impact of advertising typically focus on three kinds of effects: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. This article summarizes research into types of effect and discusses the literature on several other predictors of children's consumer behavior, including age gender, socioeconomic level, and parent-child communication. The article ends with some information about European regulation about advertising and some suggestions for future research into children's consumer behavior.
The conflict between elitism and populism in the development of American art museums is analyzed in the light of the gap between intention and accomplishment with regard to their public education mission. In the course of examining the origins and changing character of these institutions, it is suggested that although a public mission was adduced to justify their existence and gain access to public subsidy, in fact, art museums were never really designed to be “democratic” lmost in spite of this, however, they are reaching a far broader public than their founders could have imagined. In the process, the nature of the art viewing experience has changed, as have the definitions of what constitutes Art.
The conflict between elitism and populism in the development of American art museums is analyzed in the light of the gap between
intention and accomplishment with regard to their public education mission. In the course of examining the origins and changing
character of these institutions, it is suggested that although a public mission was adduced to justify their existence and
gain access to public subsidy, in fact, art museums were never really designed to be “democratic” lmost in spite of this,
however, they are reaching a far broader public than their founders could have imagined. In the process, the nature of the
art viewing experience has changed, as have the definitions of what constitutes Art.
As a critical concept, the public sphere has always been premised on two idealizing assumptions: in principle, public opinion should be normatively legitimate and politically efficacious. Yet these assumptions are hard to associate with the discursive arenas we today call ‘transnational public spheres’, which neither stage communication among equal citizens nor address it to sovereign states. In this context, public sphere theory is in danger of losing its critical thrust and political point. Aiming to recover its critical potential, this article revisits the ideals of legitimacy and efficacy in three steps. First, I explicate the implicit Westphalian presuppositions of Habermas’s original formulation and show that these have persisted in its major feminist, anti-racist and multicultural critiques, including my own. Second, I identify several distinct facets of transnationality that problematize the understandings of legitimacy and efficacy that informed both the original theory and its critical counter-theorizations. Finally, I suggest a strategy for reconstructing the ideal of legitimate and efficacious public opinion for a post-Westphalian world.
The rogue wave serves as a useful metaphor for the assemblage of Christo-capitalism in the US today. Contemporary US capitalism defies Weberian logics in its involvement between 'cowboy capitalism' and evangelical Christianity - an assemblage of two heterogeneous forces that bring together the value of profit and the promise of Armageddon. This assemblage is consolidated by media publicists who construe entrepreneurs and corporations as legitimate imitations of God's creativity on earth.
The term global suggests all-inclusiveness and brings to mind connectivity, a notion that gained a boost from Marshall McLuhan's reference to the mass-mediated ‘global village’. In the past decade it has rapidly become part of the everyday vocabulary not only of academics and business people, but also has circulated widely in the media in various parts of the world. There have also been the beginnings of political movements against globalization and proposals for ‘de-globalization’ and ‘alternative globalizations’, projects to re-define the global. In effect, the terminology has globalized and globalization is varyingly lauded, reviled and debated around the world. The rationale of much previous thinking on humanity in the social sciences has been to assume a linear process of social integration, as more and more people are drawn into a widening circle of interdependencies in the movement to larger units, but the new forms of binding together of social life necessitate the development of new forms of global knowledge which go beyond the old classifications. It is also in this sense that the tightening of the interdependency chains between human beings, and also between human beings and other life forms, suggests we need to think about the relevance of academic knowledge to the emergent global public sphere.
ABSTRACT This paper argues that to understand the legitimacy of a culture we need to investigate its relation to the archive, the site for the accumulation of records. Archive reason is a kind of reason which is concerned with detail, it constantly directs us away from the big generalization, down into the particularity and singularity of the event. Increasingly the focus has shifted from archiving the lives of the good and the great down to the detail of mundane everyday life. One implication here is that rather than see the archive as a specific place in which we deposit records, documents, photographs, film, video and all the minutiae on which culture is inscribed, should we not seek to extend the walls of the archive to place it around the everyday, the world? If everything can potentially be of significance shouldn't part of the archive fever be to record and document everything, as it could one day be useful? The problem then becomes, not what to put into the archive, but what one dare leave out. Some of the implications of these questions were considered by Georg Simmel, in his argument that there has been a build up and overload in the production and circulation of objective culture. This is now beyond our subjective capacity to assimilate and order, given the finite limits of the human life course we all face. It is something which confronts the individual with irresolvable dilemmas over selectivity, with each particular choice amounting to a wager which inevitably closes off others. Related questions about the difficulties of handling cultural completeness, were also addressed by Jorge Luis Borges in his discussion of the Library of Babel and the Aleph. Yet both could hardly have anticipated the full implications of the electronic archive: the development of new technologies for storing, searching and communicating information through the Internet with its databases and hypertext links. The electronic archive offers new possibilities for speed, mobility and completeness of access to cultures which have become digitalized, which raise fundamental questions about ownership, intellectual property rights, censorship and democratic access. The implications for culture are clear: the new electronic archives will not only change the form in which culture is produced and recorded, but the wider conditions under which it is enacted and lived as well.
… as for her figure, and she was admirably built, it was impossible to make out its continuity (on account of the fashion then prevailing, and in spite of her being one of the best-dressed women in Paris), for the corset, jutting forwards in an arch, as though over an imaginary stomach, and ending in a sharp point, beneath which bulged out the balloon of her double skirts, gave a woman, that year, the appearance of being composed of different sections badly fitted together.
Aron said, pointing to his glass: ‘You see, my dear fellow, if you are a phenomenologist, you can talk about this cocktail and make philosophy of it!’ Sartre turned pale with emotion at this. Here was just the thing he had been looking to achieve for years.
Introduction. 1. The Scandal of Ambivalence. 2. Social Construction of Ambivalence. 3. Self--Construction of Ambivalence. 4. A Case Study in the Sociology of Assimilation (I):. Trapped in Ambivalence. 5. A Case Study in the Sociology of Assimilation (II):. Revenge of Ambivalence. 6. Privatization of Ambivalence. 7. Postmodernity, or Living with Ambivalence.
MTV is often associated with concerns about global cultural homogenization and the spread of a rebellious youth culture. However, the political economy of satellite television in postliberalization India has ensured the construction of a music television audience that is neither antinational nor antielder. On the basis of a reception study of music television in India, this article argues that audiences construct a sense of generational, national, and global identity in a manner that calls for a deeper understanding of cultural imperialism and audience reception. The findings of this study suggest that although the emerging youth cul- ture in India does not seem confrontational in generational or national terms, it is not so much a case of audience resistance as that of co-optation by global hegemonic forces. Music television, and MTV in particular, are often associated in discourses about globalization with concerns about worldwide cultural homogeniza- tion and in discourses about youth culture with concerns about degeneracy and loss of parental authority. However, in the case of India, the postliberalization political economy has ensured the construction of a music television audience that is neither antinational nor antiparent. Despite the positioning in certain debates of cultural imperialism and audi- ence studies as opposing traditions, this article examines the process in which Indian music television audiences construct a sense of generational, national, and global identity on the basis of a reception study of nationalis- tic Indian music videos conducted in Hyderabad, India. The findings of this study, however, suggest that the transgenerational and pronational youth
Chaise LaDousa
Screening Culture, Viewing Politics: An Ethnography of Television, Womanhood, and Nation in Postcolonial India. By Purnima Mankekar. Durham: Duke University Press, 1999. Purnima Mankekar’s Screening Culture, Viewing Politics draws on the historiography and contemporary refractions of colonialism to produce a richly textured, ethnographically grounded study of television watching in postcolonial India. Mankekar’s ethnography is set in the shadow of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s 1980s multifaceted modernization project: “The agenda was clear: on the economic front, a shift from capital goods investment to a consumer economy; on the cultural front, a concerted effort to focus on the aspirations and anxieties of the dramatically expanding middle classes” (p. 46). Mankekar frames her ethnography by showing that television presented a vehicle both for the realization of Gandhi’s modernizing project and the portrayal of the dilemmas and desires of the middle classes that the modernizing project helped to expand. She notes, for example, the dramatic increase in infrastructure and sets; whereas there were twenty-six television transmitters in 1982, the government added 497 by 1991, and whereas Indians bought 5,000,000 sets in 1985, they bought 35,000,000 in 1990.
Copyright © 2002, Chaise LaDousa and The Johns Hopkins University Press
The Alice effectContradiction is but an appearance and probably the most flattering one at that. I speak and have nothing to say.
The article uses an interesting discussion between historian and philosopher of science as point of departure for a brief examination of the special task of the sociology of sciences. Both historian and philosopher proceed according to certain ritualised conventions. They take it for granted that it is possible, today as in the seventeenth century, to work out a theory of science by concentrating on one science only, on theoretical physics. They are unable to come to grips with the diversification of sciences as a theoretical problem. The growth of a single science itself is treated by them as if it were an absolutely autonomous social development. A sociological theory of sciences has to take account of the observable advance of scientific knowledge into areas of the universe that were previously unknown or inaccessible to scientific exploration. It has to take account for instance of the emergence of biological and social sciences both as a science-immanent and a science-transcendent problem. Philosophers and historians of science have constructed a seemingly impenetrable conceptual wall between immanent and transcendent developments. According to them, ‘internal’ history of a science can be treated as independent of ‘external’ history. The article indicates that this is part of a professional ideology. By claiming absolute autonomy for one's subject matter one tries to secure the absolute autonomy of one's profession. If that claim is abandoned the fashionable problem of continuities and discontinuities in the development of sciences appears in a different light. Neither discontinuity nor autonomy of a scientific development can ever be absolute. Its relative autonomy, however, can grow or diminish. That of physics, for instance, is at present noticeably greater than that of sociology. One may well ask why that is the case. That is the kind of problem which requires a sociological as distinct from a philosophical or historical investigation.
A new and curious species of public figure emerged on the international scene after the Second World War, gaining in prominence and conspicuousness in the years that followed. His daily experience is often a trying one, marked by recurrent tension between conflicting commitments. Enjoying from bhth the comforts of the advanced industrial world, he seeks to speak onbehalf of the hungry and impoverished. Educated in the best universities, he lives among countrymen who are predominantly illiterate. He is regarded as an impertinent upstart by the diplomats of wealthier and more powerful nations. At the same time, he is suspected by his own people of compromising himself with the reigning powers of the international arena. He is well-versed and highly articulate in the political vocabulary of the West. Yet he is acutely sensitive to perceived slights against the political traditions of his native land. He is bitter about what the Western presence did to his native society. But the very categories in which he couches his criticisms of that presence—the rights to sovereignty, distributive justice, and national self-determination —are themselves the inheritance of the West. He follows with enthusiasm the latest currents of intellectual life in Europe and America. Yet he is deeply committed, simultaneously, to defending the dignity of his own people's cultural achievements. As a result of his modern education, he cannot help but feel somewhat estranged from the traditional beliefs and practices of his fellow citizens. Yet neither can he feel very comfortable as the mere bearer to them of the colonizer's culture, a culture he rarely regards entirely as his own. Such is the predicament of that loquacious and troublesome child of the post-colonial age, the Third World intellectual.
This paper focuses on the ways in which the department store has become a key site for the constitution of Japanese modernity through the introduction of images and goods taken from the West, along with the emphasis on “Western design” and “Western taste”. These new consumer spaces have become aestheticized in various ways so that we can speak of an “aestheticization” of everyday life. Yet this was also a modernizing learning process for Japanese consumers, hence a key problem was how these new experiences were to be classified and ordered into a relatively stable habitus. The rise of the department store has had an important mediating function here. Department stores not only provided new goods along with interpretations of how to use them, but also acted as theatres, as rehearsal spaces, with front and back stage areas where one can watch the performance, try out for oneself new roles. This is especially the case for women in the city, who were able to explore a new identity space with a new set of competence experiences and pleasures. In this process, the department store also provided a form of women's public sphere where they could enjoy shopping, entertainment and learning opportunities. Department stores encouraged not only a sense of luxury and theatrical settings, but also help to teach women how to assemble new tastes and styles into their lifestyle. In addition, it should be emphasized that in the Japanese case, department stores also played an important role not just as a new cultural initiative on the part of the businessmen and cultural intermediaries who invented consumer culture, but also as a political initiative on the part of the government who sought to link them to the reform of everyday life and the production of good Japanese citizens.
Few topics in political sociology have received as much attention as the nature and politics of the new middle class. Among Marxists the class position of salaried mental workers has been an issue of controversy for nearly a century. Concern with this question can be traced back at least as far as the revisionism debate of the 1890s. It was a major focus in Marxist analyses of fascism in the 1930s and today remains one of the most hotly debated issues within the Western socialist and communist parties. In non-Marxist circles the rise of the new middle class has inspired no less fascination. From the technocratic prophesies of Thorstein Veblen and James Burnham to the “new little man” of C. Wright Mills’s White Collar to the post-industrial theories of Daniel Bell and Alvin Gouldner, each generation of social theorists has based its vision of the emerging social order on the rediscovery or reinterpretation of this class. In the words of one recent commentator, “an entire history of political sociology could be written on the theme of the new middle classes. Whether in the guise of the ‘managerial revolution,’ ‘white collar,’ the ‘new working class,’ or the ‘new petite bourgeoisie,’ the emergence of intermediate strata in advanced industrial societies has been rediscovered more often than the wheel.”1
