Political virtue and shopping : individuals, consumerism, and collective action / Michele Micheletti.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Micheletti, Michele.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Consumption (Economics)--Social aspects.

Consumption (Economics).

Consumption (Economics)--Political aspects.

Consumption (Economics)--Moral and ethical aspects.

Consumer protection--Citizen participation.

Consumer protection.

Political participation.

Individualism.

Consumers--Political activity--Sweden--Case studies.

Consumers.

Consumers--Political activity.

Sweden.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xiv, 247 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

Summary:

Shoppers can express their values as they search for value. Political consumerism is turning the market into a site for politics and ethics, as consumer choices reflect personal attitudes and purchases are informed by ethical or political assessment of business and government practice. In such forms as boycotts, when consumers refuse to buy, or buycotts, where consumers shift their purchases, the ostensibly apolitical marketplace is a site of contestation at the intersection of globalization and individualization. This book opens readers' eyes to a new way of viewing everyday consumer choices and the role of the market in our lives, illuminating the broader theoretical and historical context of concerns about sweatshops, responsible coffee, and ethical and free trade.

Contents:

1. Why Political Consumerism? 1

2. History of Political Consumerism 37

3. Contemporary Forms and Institutions 73

4. A Study of Political Consumerism Today: The Case of Good Environmental Choice in Sweden 119

5. Shopping with and for Virtues 149

Appendix The Political Business of Consumerism: A New Research Agenda for the Social Sciences 169.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-236) and index.

ISBN:

1403961336

OCLC:

52160000