Beyond the Consumption Bubble

by Ekstr÷m; Karin M

• ISBN13: 9780415878494
• ISBN10: 0415878497
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-12-14
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Research on consumption can shed light on many fundamental questions, such as the character of society, including social and cultural dimensions; the relations between the generations; dependency on technology and the risks involved; the rise of Asia and its potential consumption preferences; the question of whether we must continuously increase our consumption to avoid a recession and whether this is ecologically sustainable. In the field of consumption research there is need for analytical rigor based on theory and empirical evidence as well as discussions that will inspire readers to ask important questions regarding future development. The contributors to this innovative volume are scholars and experts in the field of consumption representing a variety of disciplines such as anthropology, economics, history, marketing, political science, and sociology. This book not only provides readers with a nuanced picture of consumption, but intends to enrich and sharpen the general debate about society today.

Author Biography

Karin M. Ekstrm is Professor in Marketing at University of Boras, Sweden. Kay Glans is Editorial Coordinator of Glasshouse Forum.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	p. xi
Editor's Introduction
Introduction	p. 3
A Changing Society
The Economics and the Anti-Economics of Consumption	p. 17
The Hyperconsumption Society	p. 25
Consumption in an Age of Globalization and Localization	p. 37
Goods and Service Consumption in the Affluent Welfare State- Issues for the Future	p. 52
Consumption beyond Dualism	p. 70
Changing Consumer Roles
Selves as Objects of Consumption	p. 85
Consumers as Citizens: Tensions and Synergies	p. 99
Political Consumption Revisited: Should We Resist "Consumers' Resistance"?	p. 112
Communities of Purpose	p. 125
Value Creation and the Visual Consumer	p. 137
"Keeping Up with the Children": Changing Consumer Roles in Families	p. 149
The Consumption Bubble and Beyond?
Relative Deprivation, Inequality and Consumer Spending in the United States	p. 165
(Unsustainable Consumption and the New Political Economy Of Growth	p. 174
If US Consumption Declines Will the Global Economy Collapse?	p. 191
Philosophies for Less Consuming Societies	p. 205
Well-Being the Path Out of the Consumption-Climate Dilemma?	p. 221
What Is to Be Undone: The Making of the Middle Class in China	p. 236
Contributors	p. 251
Index	p. 259
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