Includes bibliographical references (pages 117-140) and index.
CONTENTS NOTE
Text of Note
Front cover; Half title page; Title page; Copyright page; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1 Sanctimonious shopping?: Ethical consumption as a 'crisis of moralism'; 2 Cosmopolitan caring: globalization, charity and the activist-consumer; 3 Greenwash, whitewash, hogwash?: CSR and the media management of consumer concern; 4 Interior economies: anti-consumer activism and the limits of reflexivity; 5 Ecologies of green consumption; Notes; References; Index; Back cover
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SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
The increasingly conspicuous problems of contemporary consumerism (particularly social exploitation and environmental destruction) combined with the ever-expanding niche markets of neoliberal consumer capitalism have led, in recent years, to a skein of 'alternative' consumer practices. Ethical consumption, fair trade, consumer protests, brand backlashes, green goods, boycotts and downshifting: these are all now familiar consumer activities - and in some cases, are almost mainstream. This book suggests we can understand this phenomenon as an expanding field of 'radical consumption': for this is a world in which we are increasingly encouraged to shop for change. By examining their practices, precedents and politics, this book asks: just how radical are these forms of 'radical consumption'? It argues that we need a more expansive vocabulary and to open up approaches of enquiry in order to understand the area's many contradictions, strengths and weaknesses."Radical Consumption" therefore draws on a number of contemporary theories, terms and debates in media and cultural studies, including cosmopolitanism, reflexivity, cultural economies and ethics. By doing so, it raises a number of questions, including: Is ethical consumption merely a sop for the middle classes? Can such forms of consumption ever move beyond their niche market status to become an effective political force? Should we understand corporate social responsibility as a form of consumer-oriented greenwash? And can we really buy our way to a better, more equitable or sustainable future? "Radical Consumption" takes a multifaceted, interdisciplinary approach to examining contemporary radical consumption, analysing its possibilities and problems, mobile moralities, methods of mediation and its connections to wider cultural formations of production and politics.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS NOTE (ELECTRONIC RESOURCES)
Text of Note
Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002.
ACQUISITION INFORMATION NOTE
Source for Acquisition/Subscription Address
MIL
Stock Number
195314
OTHER EDITION IN ANOTHER MEDIUM
Title
Radical consumption.
International Standard Book Number
9780335221523
PARALLEL TITLE PROPER
Parallel Title
Shopping for change in contemporary culture
TOPICAL NAME USED AS SUBJECT
Consumer protection.
Consumption (Economics)-- Moral and ethical aspects.
Consumption (Economics)-- Social aspects.
Culture-- Economic aspects.
Environmentalism-- Economic aspects.
Green products.
Sustainable development-- Economic aspects.
Consumer protection.
Consumption (Economics)-- Moral and ethical aspects.
Consumption (Economics)-- Social aspects.
Culture-- Economic aspects.
Environmentalism-- Economic aspects.
Green products.
POLITICAL SCIENCE-- Public Policy-- Cultural Policy.