Thorstein Veblen: from the ethics of work to conspicuous consumption

2020 ◽  
pp. 159-165
Author(s):  
Jiri Zuzanek
Keyword(s):  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
Thorstein Veblen

scholarly journals CONSUMERISM OF LEISURE CLASS IN SINGAPORE IN KEVIN KWAN’S CRAZY RICH ASIANS: A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH

Lire Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-53
Author(s):  
Resneri Daulay
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Social Self ◽  
Love Affair ◽  
Thorstein Veblen ◽  
Luxury Brand ◽  
Leisure Class ◽  
Sociological Approach

This research entitled “Consumerism of Leisure Class in Singapore in Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians: A Sociological Approach”. The purpose of this study is to analyze the leisure class reflected in Singapore in the novel Crazy Rich Asians. In addition, the aim of this research is to reveal the consumerism of leisure class in Crazy Rich Asians. This novel contained the aspect about the style of consumer in Singapore. This study used the mimetic approach by M.H. Abrams. The research used qualitative method to analyze the data. This study is used two main concepts of theory of leisure class by Thorstein Veblen, these are conspicuous leisure and conspicuous consumption. The research applied the data of Singaporeans leisure class in the book Understanding Singaporeans: Values, Lifestyle, Aspirations and Consumption Behaviours by Keng et al. This study also applied the concept of uniquely Singaporean mindset in the book entitled The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love affair with Luxury by Chadha and Paul as a tool to analyze the consumerism of leisure class in the novel Crazy Rich Asians.              In this study, the researcher found two main results. First, this study indicated conspicuous leisure as a signal of leisure class in Crazy Rich Asians based on seven leisure activities of Singaporean. They are sports, social, self-improvement, various charity, travel, home, and other activities. Second, the study discover the consumerism of leisure class in the novel Crazy Rich Asians and uniquely Singaporean mindset as a main result of consumerism of leisure class in Singapore reflected in the novel Crazy Rich Asians.

Peacocks, Porsches, and Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous consumption as a sexual signaling system.

2011 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 664-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill M. Sundie ◽  
Douglas T. Kenrick ◽  
Vladas Griskevicius ◽  
Joshua M. Tybur ◽  
Kathleen D. Vohs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
Signaling System ◽  
Sexual Signaling ◽  
Thorstein Veblen

Was John Wesley A Political Economist?

1964 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-321
Author(s):  
C. Robert Haywood
Keyword(s):  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
Political Economics ◽  
John Wesley ◽  
Thorstein Veblen ◽  
Economic Theories ◽  
Political Economist ◽  
Interesting Reading

In 1772 John Wesley wrote a letter to Lloyd's Evening Post which was reprinted in a slightly revised form the following year under the title, Thoughts on the Present Scarcity of Provisions.1 Although intended by Wesley to be an essay exposing the evils of what Thorstein Veblen would later refer to as “conspicuous consumption,” it has been reprinted and cited during the present century primarily as a temperance tract.2 As intended or as adapted it makes for interesting reading but is far more fascinating as a testament of Wesley's economic theories. In terms of length and concern the pamphlet represents, as Wesley's biographer Francis J. McConnell observed “as nearly as anything a statement of his economic views.”3 Undoubtedly it does represent Wesley's most mature (he was in his sixty-ninth year when it was published) and deliberate attempt to express himself in the area of political economics. What does it reveal? Was he a profound theorist? Or did he follow slavishly the current philosophy? In short, was John Wesley a political economist?

The Conspicious Body: Capitalism, Consumerism, Class and Consumption

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Carolan
Keyword(s):  
Social Power ◽  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
The Body ◽  
Environmental Literature ◽  
Ecological Consequences ◽  
Thorstein Veblen ◽  
New Era ◽  
Consumer Capitalism ◽  
Body Self

AbstractA little over a century ago, Thorstein Veblen introduced us to the now commonplace term "conspicuous consumption": the idea that we consume, at least in part, in order to display to others our social power. While the conceptual utility of this term is just as valid today as it was the day Veblen penned it, further elaboration is now required to account for shifting cultural and economic imperatives. In this paper, I argue that we are entering a new era of conspicuous consumption; an era where surrounding oneself with "nice things" is becoming increasingly insufficient for our modern sensibilities in our quest to display status and power. Rather, we are progressively striving to become the "nice thing" itself—to literally embody conspicuous consumption. I locate this conspicuous body within evolving historical tensions of consumer capitalism; tensions which the conspicuous body attempts to resolve (but not without social, cultural, and ecological consequences). This paper also represents an attempt to introduce into the socio-environmental literature the body as a legitimate topic of inquiry. While the body has recently experienced an increase in attention by some social and cultural scholars, such interest has been lost among most environmental sociologists; a surprising point, particularly given the fact that through the body, self and the environment become embodied.

scholarly journals Pamer Kemewahan: Kajian Teori Konsumsi Thorstein Veblen

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Indra Setia Bakti ◽  
Anismar Anismar ◽  
Khairul Amin
Keyword(s):  
Leisure Time ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
Thorstein Veblen ◽  
Consumption Behavior ◽  
Time Consumption ◽  
Leisure Class ◽  
Social Actions ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Excessive Consumption

This article aims to discuss Thorstein Veblen's perspective about the behavior of waste or excessive consumption by the leisure class. This article uses the library research to understanding the perspective of Veblen's theory of consumption. We review Veblen's work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, as the main note complemented by relevant books and journals to support this study. The leisure class in this regard act deliberately to display their wealth. The newly rich group flaunted the luxury of their life with a motive to accommodate their desire for social respect and social status. The leisure class realizes their social actions through conspicuous leisure time consumption and conspicuous consumption of goods characterized by imitative and emulative behavior among the actors involved in it. The conspicuous consumption behavior produces élite taste which in turn has a social impact that affects the class behavior of the lower strata.AbstrakArtikel ini bertujuan untuk mendiskusikan sudut pandang Thorstein Veblen dalam melihat perilaku konsumsi berlebihan yang dilakukan oleh kelas sosial tertentu dalam masyarakat. Studi ini menggunakan metode kajian pustaka dalam memahami perspektif teori konsumsi Veblen. Data dalam artikel ini bersumber dari karya-larya Veblen sendiri, The Theory of the Leisure Class, serta buku-buku dan jurnal-jurnal yang relevan dalam mendukung artikel ini. Perilaku ini rupanya lahir dari sebuah konteks sosial dimana kelompok orang kaya baru mencoba mengakomodasi hasrat mereka akan penghargaan sosial dan status sosial. Hal ini diwujudkan melalui konsumsi waktu luang mencolok dan konsumsi barang mencolok yang ditandai dengan perilaku imitatif dan emulatif diantara aktor-aktor yang terlibat di dalamnya. Perilaku konsumsi mencolok menghasilkan selera elite yang selanjutnya meluas dan berdampak secara sosial dimana mempengaruhi perilaku kelas dari strata yang lebih rendah

The Darwinian dynamic of sexual selection that Thorstein Veblen missed and its relevance to institutional economics

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
JON D. WISMAN
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Institutional Economics ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Thorstein Veblen

AbstractThorstein Veblen was a pioneer in recognizing the necessity of grounding social science in Darwinian biology and exploring how evolving institutions channel biological proclivities. He especially focused upon how capitalism's social institutions guided the innate need for social status into conspicuous consumption. But why do humans seek status? Surprisingly, Veblen did not pick up on Darwin's concept of sexual selection and recognize it as the driving force behind behavior intended to favorably impress others. This article adds the Darwinian depth that Veblen missed to his understanding of the biologically driven quest for status and its channeling by social institutions. It then explores the turn of most institutionalists away from Veblen's focus on innate behavioral drives in favor of viewing human behavior as more exclusively determined by social conditions. It concludes with reflections on the implications of sexual selection and biological grounding more generally for a theory of institutional economics.

Why Chinese Elites buy what they buy

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 877-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaotong Jin ◽  
Hefeng Wang ◽  
Tianxin Wang ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Shengliang Deng
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Conspicuous Consumption ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Economic Literature ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Thorstein Veblen ◽  
Chinese Values ◽  
Status Seeking ◽  
Study Support

In 1899, Thorstein Veblen introduced socially contingent consumption into the economic literature. However, it was not until recent years that empirical studies of his theory begin to appear in mainstream economic literature with diversified conclusions. This article complements the scarce empirical literature by testing his conjecture on consumers in China's transitional economic context. Three sets of hypotheses were tested with a sample of 1,021 Chinese consumers. The findings of the study support Veblen's contention, especially the argument advanced by Leibenstein (1950) that the primary motivation for conspicuous consumption rests on social status seeking and position enhancement. With a rising per capita income in China and the birth of an elite social class, conspicuous consumption has to some extent replaced the traditional Chinese values of modesty and frugality in search of social recognition and self-realisation.

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