Consumption, status, and sustainability : ecological and anthropological perspectives / edited by Paul Roscoe, University of Maine, Cindy Isenhour, University of Maine.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Roscoe, Paul Bernard, 1948- editor.

Isenhour, Cindy, editor.

Series:

New directions in sustainability and society.

New directions in sustainability and society

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Consumption (Economics)--Social aspects.

Consumption (Economics).

Sustainable development.

Social status.

Consumption (Economics)--Environmental aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 349 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Summary:

This volume addresses current concerns about the climate and environmental sustainability by exploring one of the key drivers of contemporary environmental problems: the role of status competition in generating what we consume, and what we throw away, to the detriment of the planet. Across time and space, humans have pursued social status in many different ways - through ritual purity, singing or dancing, child-bearing, bodily deformation, even headhunting. In many of the world's most consumptive societies, however, consumption has become closely tied to how individuals build and communicate status. Given this tight link, people will be reluctant to reduce consumption levels - and environmental impact -- and forego their ability to communicate or improve their social standing. Drawing on cross-cultural and archaeological evidence, this book asks how a stronger understanding of the links between status and consumption across time, space, and culture might bend the curve towards a more sustainable future.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 30 Jul 2021).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-108-87709-5

1-108-87168-2

1-108-87444-4