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Who am I without my stuff?

Nagy, Dóra LU and Bernuy Siancas, Johanna Patricia LU (2022) BUSN39 20221
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
In a world where migration has dramatically increased over the last 30 years, migrant
consumers have become an important market actor. When migrant consumers geographically
relocate they potentially experience changes in their identity, while different factors influence
their acculturation to the host culture. Consumer acculturation literature within Consumer
Culture Theory has studied this topic from different angles but one that has not been deeply
analyzed is related to the loss of possessions migrants experience when they relocate. They
cannot take all their belongings with them, having to choose and carry just a few of the most
significant ones. Previous literature has studied how losing possessions is like losing a part of
... (More)
In a world where migration has dramatically increased over the last 30 years, migrant
consumers have become an important market actor. When migrant consumers geographically
relocate they potentially experience changes in their identity, while different factors influence
their acculturation to the host culture. Consumer acculturation literature within Consumer
Culture Theory has studied this topic from different angles but one that has not been deeply
analyzed is related to the loss of possessions migrants experience when they relocate. They
cannot take all their belongings with them, having to choose and carry just a few of the most
significant ones. Previous literature has studied how losing possessions is like losing a part of
the self. For migrants, the loss of belongings leads to experiencing grief that, even though
influences every person to a different extent, has one thing in common: it could potentially
affect their identity. Therefore, this research analyses how the loss of possessions influences
acculturation. Specifically, our findings highlight three ways in which this influence is
present: the loss of possessions causes loss of identity projects, it causes the maintenance of
hobbies and routines to recover familiarity, and it increases the self-awareness of migrant
consumers. We conclude by presenting how these three ways also influence their
consumption choices, we bring to the table the concept of nostalgia, linking value, and global
consumer culture. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nagy, Dóra LU and Bernuy Siancas, Johanna Patricia LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Who am I without my stuff? - Loss of possessions & acculturation of migrant consumers
course
BUSN39 20221
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
immigration, migrants, acculturation, identity, consumer culture
language
English
id
9093340
date added to LUP
2022-06-28 09:56:11
date last changed
2022-06-28 09:56:11
@misc{9093340,
  abstract     = {{In a world where migration has dramatically increased over the last 30 years, migrant
consumers have become an important market actor. When migrant consumers geographically
relocate they potentially experience changes in their identity, while different factors influence
their acculturation to the host culture. Consumer acculturation literature within Consumer
Culture Theory has studied this topic from different angles but one that has not been deeply
analyzed is related to the loss of possessions migrants experience when they relocate. They
cannot take all their belongings with them, having to choose and carry just a few of the most
significant ones. Previous literature has studied how losing possessions is like losing a part of
the self. For migrants, the loss of belongings leads to experiencing grief that, even though
influences every person to a different extent, has one thing in common: it could potentially
affect their identity. Therefore, this research analyses how the loss of possessions influences
acculturation. Specifically, our findings highlight three ways in which this influence is
present: the loss of possessions causes loss of identity projects, it causes the maintenance of
hobbies and routines to recover familiarity, and it increases the self-awareness of migrant
consumers. We conclude by presenting how these three ways also influence their
consumption choices, we bring to the table the concept of nostalgia, linking value, and global
consumer culture.}},
  author       = {{Nagy, Dóra and Bernuy Siancas, Johanna Patricia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Who am I without my stuff?}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}