Studying Political Consumerism

The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism addresses the study of political consumerism. It discusses how production and consumption affect broader societal affairs at home and abroad, and how the phenomenon of political consumerism has developed in different directions—geographically, conceptually, and methodologically—and in multiple sectors, at multiple levels, and involving multiple disciplines. Its varieties create challenges for scholars to make sense of the phenomenon. Critical questions arise about its appropriate conceptual framing and methodologies. This introductory chapter defines and elaborates upon political consumerism and its four forms (boycotts, buycotts, discursive actions, and lifestyle endeavors). It offers an overview of the Handbook’s six thematic parts: political consumerism’s history, its theory and research design, its presence in major industry sectors, its global geographic spread and practice, its democratic paradoxes and challenges, and its problem-solving potential. This chapter also provides summaries and reviews of the Handbook’s thirty-nine chapters.

Political Consumerism

This chapter highlights The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism’s most interesting findings and identifies major characteristics and conceptual/methodological topics for advancing research on the phenomenon of political consumerism. It emphasizes how scholars study the phenomenon’s multidimensionality in a more fragmented context and explains differences in the forms and spread of political consumerism across industry sectors. The wide diversity in the forms and spread of political consumerism across countries and regions is related to political and cultural traditions, levels of economic development, and the role of social media. The Handbook also puts stress on how all four forms of political consumerism are involved in democratically problematic types of political consumerism. Political consumerism’s effectiveness is evaluated from several perspectives along with a recommendation for further study of input, output, and outcome aspects. The chapter encourages new studies on undemocratic types of political consumerism as well as investigations into the absence of political consumerism in certain countries and industry sectors. All this requires innovative methodology, new theoretical conceptualization, and cross-disciplinary work.” through innovative methodology, conceptualization, and cross-disciplinary work.

Tracing Political Consumerism in Africa and the Middle East

This chapter provides an overview of political consumerism in Africa and the Middle East. Regarding the African continent, consumption is discussed in terms of lifestyle issues related to corruption and Western consumer cultures. In the Middle East and North Africa, political consumerism is closely related to religious controversies. Africa is also central in various global supply chains, such as those for food and minerals, which engage political consumerism activists in other parts of the world. This chapter uses the cases of organic food and Fairtrade to examine the roles of local producers, citizens, and civil society organizations in these global networks. The conclusion discusses specific characteristics of political consumerism in the region and questions whether (future) economic development will have an impact on political consumerism in Africa.

Boycotting and Buycotting in Consumer Cultures

This chapter presents a historical overview of political consumerism in the United States and Canada, highlighting how societal and cultural shifts have influenced participation over time. The chapter begins by discussing the debatable origins of political consumerism in the Boston Tea Party to present-day examples, including fair trade and ecoconsumption. Throughout the chapter, there is an emphasis on the heterogeneity of political consumers, with particular attention to how marginalized groups, particularly women and African Americans, have used political consumerism to bring about social change. The chapter also argues that producer-consumer solidarity campaigns, including the antisweatshop movement and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Campaign for Fair Food, are preferable to consumer-led campaigns. Finally, this chapter concludes with methodological considerations for studying political consumerism in North America and suggestions for future research.

Problematic Political Consumerism

Typically, political consumerism is portrayed in straightforward, unproblematic ways. This chapter discusses how and why political consumerism—and particularly boycotts—can be confusing and problematic. Theoretically it focuses on moral dilemmas within political consumerism and the key role of overriding moral claims in the motivations for and actions of political consumer causes. An ideal type model, constructed for analyzing unproblematic and problematic political consumerism, is applied to cases of more unproblematic political consumerism (e.g., the Nestlé, Nike, and South African boycotts) and more problematic political consumerism (e.g., the Disney boycott and the movement against Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestine territories). The chapter also addresses why other forms of political consumerism (buycotts and discursive actions) seem less vulnerable to moral dilemmas as well as the research challenges in studying more problematic cases of political consumerism.

Political Consumerism for Sustainable Tourism

Over the last decades a substantial and growing societal and academic interest has emerged for the development of sustainable tourism. Scholars have highlighted the contribution of tourism to global environmental change and to local, detrimental social and environmental effects as well as to ways in which tourism contributes to nature conservation. Nevertheless the role of tourist consumers in driving sustainable tourism has remained unconvincing and inconsistent. This chapter reviews the constraints and opportunities of political consumerism for sustainable tourism. The discussion covers stronger pockets and a key weak pocket of political consumerism for sustainable tourism and also highlights inconsistencies in sustainable tourism consumption by drawing on a range of social theory arguments and possible solutions. The chapter concludes with an agenda for future research on this topic.

Racialized Political Consumerism in the United States

In the United States, political consumerism has evolved alongside the country’s racial struggles. Throughout American history, ethnoracial minority groups have used different forms of racialized political consumerism in order to advance their rights. White supremacist groups have also taken part in boycotts to promote their cause. Addressing the need to assess the meaning and significance of a tactic that is considered to be a longstanding political tradition, this chapter provides an analytical guide for the study of racialized political consumerism in democratic societies. It does so by (1) illustrating the historical and contemporary uses of political consumerism in racial struggles in the United States, (2) examining the different forms of political consumerism used by ethnoracial minorities, and (3) discussing the theoretical value of the concept of racialized political consumerism.

The Development of Political Consumerism in India

This chapter provides a historical view of the development of political consumerism in India and details its present-day manifestations. Political consumerism in India emerged during the colonial period and was rooted in Gandhian ideologies such as swadeshi. The chapter highlights how swadeshi has been co-opted by political and business interests, which have recast it as a form of ascendant economic nationalism. Strategies such as boycotting have been employed, sometimes against vulnerable consumers. Food has emerged as a major point of contention and has been employed strategically to convey identity, reinforce social hierarchies, and even as a test of Indianness. The chapter concludes that political consumerism in India, due to its colonial origins, follows trajectories that are distinct from those in the West.

Political Consumerism in Central and Eastern Europe

This chapter compares political consumerism in Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as well as within the CEE region, using European Social Survey, Special Eurobarometer, Fairtrade sales, and qualitative data. The chapter begins by discussing the largely neglected legacy of the socialist era for political consumerism. The discussion then compares European countries along twenty-two aspects of political consumerism, encompassing everyday consumer choices, attitudes, and awareness. The chapter shows, first, that certain forms of political consumerism cross-cut the East-West divide. Second, it proposes a threefold classification of the CEE countries (Mainstreamer, Reluctant Comfortable, and Passively Willing). Finally, the chapter outlines a version of political consumerism, referred to as the embedded politics of everyday life, prevalent in CEE, which differs from its Western counterpart in that it is less linked to political action and more to everyday ethics, such as thrift and patriotism.

Mass Consumption and Political Consumerism

This chapter focuses on the relation between mass consumption and political consumerism. Mass consumption concerns the omnipresent role of consumption in contemporary societies with associated problems of excessive resource use in current practices of consumption. The late modern context and forces of mass consumption can both trigger and prevent political consumerism as well as shape its outcome. The chapter offers a literature review that addresses both examples of alternative consumption (e.g., buycotts) and various kinds of anticonsumption, which involve politically motivated ambitions to cut down on consumption. The chapter addresses how mass consumption activates political consumerist potentials, including sentiments towards anticonsumption. It furthermore shows how mass consumption makes people unable to link consumption to political considerations. Finally, the chapter analyses possibilities and difficulties in transforming niche political consumerist initiatives to the mainstream in a society that is dominated by mass consumption.