CultCon207

Consumption & the Role of CultureCulture & Consumption, 12.09.07: 

Consumption & the Role of Culture Culture & Consumption, 12.09.07 The nature of culture – an anthropological perspective emic vs etic approaches Culture & consumption meaning production through consumption two views on culture & consumption Creolization & consumption historical note definitions & discussion

Consumer Research vs. Anthropology (McCracken) : 

Consumer Research vs. Anthropology (McCracken) Within consumer research From buyer behaviour (instinct) To consumer behaviour (individual cognition, affection) To the cultural context of consumption (collective values/meanings) Within anthropology Gradual recognition of consumption as research area Okay to study own culture Anthropological theory useful in a consumption context

The nature of culture – an anthropological perspective: 

The nature of culture – an anthropological perspective culture is everything “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, moral law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (Tylor 1871) A collective consciousness/ collective code Cultural actors create their own culture – not imposed Every culture is unique (emic approach) Plurality of cultures Production of meaning is context dependent

Emic & Etic Approaches to Cultural Analysis : 

Emic & Etic Approaches to Cultural Analysis Emic Approach studies culture from within the system examines one culture at a time structure discovered by the analyst criteria are culture specific Etic Approach studies culture from outside the system examines many cultures, comparing them structure created by the analyst criteria are absolute or universal

Two views on culture and consumer behaviour (Arnould et al. 2004 p.73): 

Two views on culture and consumer behaviour (Arnould et al. 2004 p.73) Traditional marketing view Emerging view Antecedents to culture Culture (Collective) (Individual) Perceptual categorisation Values and motives Self-concepts Consumption patterns Consumption patterns Cultural fields Shared cultural templates for interpretation Consumer goods Shared cultural templates for action

Meaning of consumer products (McCracken,1988): 

Meaning of consumer products (McCracken,1988) “The meaning of consumer goods and the meaning creation accomplished by consumer processes are important parts of the scaffolding of our present realities. Without consumer goods, certain acts of self-definition and collective definition in this culture would be impossible”

Culture - Meaning – Consumption (Arnould et al. 2004): 

Culture - Meaning – Consumption (Arnould et al. 2004) Utilitarian/Functional Meaning Usefulness of product (performance, durability, reliability, price) Sacred Meaning What is important in life (religion, history, family, nature) Hedonic Meaning Specific feelings (contentment, excitement, nostalgia distress etc) Social Meaning Expressive of who the consumer is (social group membership)

Historical note on creolization: 

Historical note on creolization Creole – people of mixed cultural background Originally creolization of languages (linguistics) a creolised language – mixture of different languages Today also creolization of consumption (consumer studies) not a phenomenon solely of the present

Creolization (Hannerz): 

Creolization (Hannerz)   “...creole cultures - like creole languages - are intrinsically of mixed origin, the confluence of two or more widely separate historical currents which interact in what is basically a center/periphery relationship” (Hannerz, 1992, p.264) cultures are ”hybridizing webs of meaning” (ibid.)  

Creolization (Howes): 

Creolization (Howes) “One often finds that the goods have been transformed, at least in part, in accordance with the values of the receiving culture…in addition to acquiring new uses, imported objects often become imbued with alternative meanings upon incorporation into a new cultural setting or “local reality” (Howes 1996, p.5)

Creolization is concerned with…(Howes): 

Creolization is concerned with… (Howes) The inflow of goods, their reception and domestication The creativity of the consumer – to experience other cultural ways without sacrificing one’s own The function and meaning of foreign products in local contexts Combination - an articulation between the local and the global