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The World of Goods
Mary Douglas,Baron Isherwood +1 more
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TLDR
The World of Goods as mentioned in this paper is a classic of economic anthropology whose insights remain compelling and urgent, arguing that poverty is caused as much by the erosion of local communities and networks as it is by lack of possessions and contrast small-scale with large-scale consumption in the household.Abstract:
It is well-understood that the consumption of goods plays an important, symbolic role in the way human beings communicate, create identity, and establish relationships. What is less well-known is that the pattern of their flow shapes society in fundamental ways. In this book the renowned anthropologist Mary Douglas and economist Baron Isherwood overturn arguments about consumption that rely on received economic and psychological explanations. They ask new questions about why people save, why they spend, what they buy, and why they sometimes-but not always-make fine distinctions about quality.
Instead of regarding consumption as a private means of satisfying one’s preferences, they show how goods are a vital information system, used by human beings to fulfill their intentions towards one another. They also consider the implications of the social role of goods for a new vision for social policy, arguing that poverty is caused as much by the erosion of local communities and networks as it is by lack of possessions, and contrast small-scale with large-scale consumption in the household.
A radical rethinking of consumerism, inequality and social capital, The World of Goods is a classic of economic anthropology whose insights remain compelling and urgent.
This Routledge Classics edition includes a new foreword by Richard Wilk.
"Forget that commodities are good for eating, clothing, and shelter; forget their usefulness and try instead the idea that commodities are good for thinking." – Mary Douglas and Baron Isherwoodread more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Materialism and Quality of Life
TL;DR: In this article, the authors make an attempt to establish a foundation for a theory of materialism and quality of life, which posits that overall life satisfaction (quality of life) is partly determined by satisfaction with standard of living.
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Lifestyles, consumption and the environment: The ecological modernization of domestic consumption
Gert Spaargaren,Bas van Vliet +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, a contextual model of domestic consumption is proposed, which combines an actor-oriented approach with a system-of-provision perspective of consumer behaviour, and the relevance of the proposed model for research on the ecological modernisation of domestic Consumption is discussed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Existential consumption and irrational desire
TL;DR: The authors argue that consumers are engaged in authentic choices in the construction and communication of self and social meanings, and that these consumption choices can be conceptualized as the exercise of existential freedom, even if constrained by inequalities in the economic system and by ideological hegemony.
Journal Article
The Subtle Signals of Inconspicuous Consumption
Jonah Berger,Morgan K. Ward +1 more
TL;DR: While theories of signaling and conspicuous consumption suggest that more explicit markers facilitate communication, the authors examines the utility of subtle signals and highlights the communication value of less explicit signals and discusses the implications for branding, signal persistence and the communication of identity.
Posted Content
From the Critics' Corner: Logic Blending, Discursive Change and Authenticity in a Cultural Production System
Mary Ann Glynn,Michael Lounsbury +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate how broader shifts in institutional logics shape the discourse of critics and their judgment of performances of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and find that post-strike reviews were more attuned to market than aesthetic aspects of the symphony.