Beyond the Consumption Bubble

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.

Karin M. Ekström is Professor in Marketing at the University of Borås, Sweden. Kay Glans is Editorial Coordinator of Glasshouse Forum.

@contents:Part I: Editor's Introduction Karin M. Ekström and Kay Glans Part II: A Changing Society 1. The Economics and the Anti-Economics of Consumption. Deirdre Nansen McCloskey 2. The Hyperconsumption Society. Gilles Lipovetsky 3. Consumption in an Age of Globalization and Localization. Richard Wilk 4. Goods and Service Consumption in the Affluent Welfare State - Issues for the Future. Jan Owen Jansson 5. Consumption beyond Dualism. Daniel Miller Part III: Changing Consumer Roles 6. Selves as Objects of Consumption. Zygmunt Bauman 7. Consumers as Citizens: Tensions and Synergies. Frank Trentmann 8. Political Consumption Revisited: Should We Resist "Consumers' Resistance"? Franck Cochoy 9. Communities of Purpose. John W. Schouten and Diane M. Martin 10. Value Creation and the Visual Consumer. Jonathan E. Schroeder 11. "Keeping Up With the Children": Changing Consumer Roles in Families. Karin M. Ekström Part IV: The Consumption Bubble and Beyond? 12. Relative Deprivation, Inequality, and Consumer Spending in the United States. Robert H. Frank 13. (Un)sustainable Consumption and the New Political Economy of Growth. Maurie J. Cohen 14. If US Consumption Declines Will the Global Economy Collapse? Neva Goodwin 15. Philosophies for Less Consuming Societies. Russell Belk 16. Well-being the Path Out of the Consumption-Climate Dilemma? John Holmberg and Jonas Nässén 17. What is to Be Undone: The Making of the Middle Class in China. Patricia M. Thornton