Politics for breakfast - a study of politics, consumption and commodities in Sweden
(2011) HEKM10 20111Human Ecology
- Abstract
- This thesis is focused on exploring what insights a human ecological perspective could provide on the understanding and practice of political consumerism. This is divided and conducted in two sections, the first section is a theoretical discussion which is devoted to defining political consumerism and reconseptualizing some aspects and components of it as well as to positioning it in a wider and more integrated context. The theoretical discussion has four general themes which are discussed in an integrated manner. The themes are: 1. a extended perception of the consumers as restrained and influenced by different phenomena. 2. a wider approach to consumption as more than 'just' an economic transaction or political action. 3. a... (More)
- This thesis is focused on exploring what insights a human ecological perspective could provide on the understanding and practice of political consumerism. This is divided and conducted in two sections, the first section is a theoretical discussion which is devoted to defining political consumerism and reconseptualizing some aspects and components of it as well as to positioning it in a wider and more integrated context. The theoretical discussion has four general themes which are discussed in an integrated manner. The themes are: 1. a extended perception of the consumers as restrained and influenced by different phenomena. 2. a wider approach to consumption as more than 'just' an economic transaction or political action. 3. a problematization of commodities centered around commodity fetishism as making commodities appear as decontextulized. 4. how the system which political consumerism functions within can affect it.
The second section is focused on the analysis of commodity narratives which are viewed as a form of recontextualization of the fetishized commodity. The commodity narratives are also discussed as stories which display certain attributes as a way to make the commodity attractive for (political) consumers. The two sections are then combined and it is suggested that more attention needs to be paid to the different phenomena which are a connected to political consumerism and the aspects related to it as they influence, constrain and limit political consumer action. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/1981205
- author
- Gustavsson, Erik LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- HEKM10 20111
- year
- 2011
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Political consumerism, human ecology, political consumption, commodity cultures, commodity narratives
- language
- English
- id
- 1981205
- date added to LUP
- 2011-09-07 15:06:44
- date last changed
- 2011-09-07 15:06:44
@misc{1981205,
abstract = {{This thesis is focused on exploring what insights a human ecological perspective could provide on the understanding and practice of political consumerism. This is divided and conducted in two sections, the first section is a theoretical discussion which is devoted to defining political consumerism and reconseptualizing some aspects and components of it as well as to positioning it in a wider and more integrated context. The theoretical discussion has four general themes which are discussed in an integrated manner. The themes are: 1. a extended perception of the consumers as restrained and influenced by different phenomena. 2. a wider approach to consumption as more than 'just' an economic transaction or political action. 3. a problematization of commodities centered around commodity fetishism as making commodities appear as decontextulized. 4. how the system which political consumerism functions within can affect it.
The second section is focused on the analysis of commodity narratives which are viewed as a form of recontextualization of the fetishized commodity. The commodity narratives are also discussed as stories which display certain attributes as a way to make the commodity attractive for (political) consumers. The two sections are then combined and it is suggested that more attention needs to be paid to the different phenomena which are a connected to political consumerism and the aspects related to it as they influence, constrain and limit political consumer action.}},
author = {{Gustavsson, Erik}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Politics for breakfast - a study of politics, consumption and commodities in Sweden}},
year = {{2011}},
}