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Fearing It: The Values of Marxism and the Contradictions of Consumerism

Patrick Hyder Patterson

in Bought and Sold: Living and Losing the Good Life in Socialist Yugoslavia

This chapter examines the mainstream Marxist critique of the contradictions of consumerism in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was heading toward the creation of a capitalist-style “consumer society” by the ... More

This chapter examines the mainstream Marxist critique of the contradictions of consumerism in Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was heading toward the creation of a capitalist-style “consumer society” by the late 1960s. However, the move toward consumerism did not go unchallenged. Instead, consumer culture and the advertising and marketing that propelled it encountered, early on, staunch and ardent resistance. This chapter considers the place of Marxism in issues surrounding commercial promotion and its role in fashioning popular culture. In particular, it analyzes the arguments of Marxist social critics that consumerism and market culture were among the most important “internal enemies” of Yugoslav socialism. It also discusses Marxist criticisms of the so-called Homo consumens and critics' sustained rhetorical campaign against consumerism. It shows that Yugoslavia's distinctive consumer culture and the commercial promotion that sustained it gave rise to a different sort of egalitarianism based on participation in a new Yugoslav Dream, one rooted in consumption.Less

“Hyperconsumption” and “Hyperdebt”: A “Hypercritical” Analysis

George Ritzer

in A Debtor World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Debt

This chapter addresses the role played by consumer society and consumer culture in the growth of the debt problem. The fundamental argument is based on the fact that American society, specifically ... More

This chapter addresses the role played by consumer society and consumer culture in the growth of the debt problem. The fundamental argument is based on the fact that American society, specifically its economy, underwent a change from a society dominated by production to one in which consumption rivaled, or exceeded, production in importance. This shift to consumption—or “hyper” consumption—is not fueled solely by the foibles of individual consumers themselves. Industry and government alike have manipulated consumers to the end of promoting consumption, and “cathedrals of consumption” (e.g., casinos, shopping malls, and theme parks) sprang up after World War II and lured consumers into consuming what they did not even realize they needed—because in fact they did not. Finally, the chapter explores contexts for “hyper” developments, namely, capitalism, the manipulation of time and space in contemporary capitalism, and globalization.Less

Choice and the consumer society

Michael Clarke

in Challenging choices: Ideology, consumerism and policy

This chapter provides substantive consideration of where choice in its modern ideological and institutional form comes from, and the place of choice in a consumer society. It discusses how ... More

This chapter provides substantive consideration of where choice in its modern ideological and institutional form comes from, and the place of choice in a consumer society. It discusses how industrialisation has paved the way for constant development of technology, thus producing an economy, and a society based upon it, in which change is seen as inevitable, continuous, and beneficial. It also explores the political consequences of industrialisation and the complications that arose with industrial market capitalism. It explains the two strategies that could remedy the defects in the market based industrial economy, capitalism — the socialist and the social democratic. It examines the importance of the new Right which lies in its capacity to recognise the direction of change, and to be seen to be capitalising on its advantages. It evaluates the politics of consumerist choice and describes credit as an institution central to the continued growth of consumer society.Less

Needing It: The Eclipse of the Dream, the Collapse of Socialism, and the Death of Yugoslavia

Patrick Hyder Patterson

in Bought and Sold: Living and Losing the Good Life in Socialist Yugoslavia

This chapter explores what the movement toward consumerism meant for the making and unmaking of the Yugoslav experiment in reformist socialism and multiethnic comity. It shows how consumerism gave ... More

This chapter explores what the movement toward consumerism meant for the making and unmaking of the Yugoslav experiment in reformist socialism and multiethnic comity. It shows how consumerism gave rise to a new New Class whose membership was predicated upon participation in a modern style of mass consumption, a complex of behaviors, tastes, and attitudes that in many respects resembled those seen in the classic Western sites of contemporary consumer society. It also considers how popular consumer culture, paired with the market culture cultivated by the new business elites, became a defining feature of Yugoslav daily life. Finally, it examines the nature of the consumerist New Class and its implications for the final stage of downturn and disillusionment in Yugoslavia caused by the contradictions of consumerism and the end of the Yugoslav Dream.Less

Fighting It: New Left Attacks on the Consumerist Establishment and the Yugoslav Dream

Patrick Hyder Patterson

in Bought and Sold: Living and Losing the Good Life in Socialist Yugoslavia

This chapter examines the unorthodox socialist critique of consumer culture developed by a group of revisionist Marxists skeptical of—and even openly antagonistic toward—the market-oriented premises ... More

This chapter examines the unorthodox socialist critique of consumer culture developed by a group of revisionist Marxists skeptical of—and even openly antagonistic toward—the market-oriented premises (and promises) of self-management socialism in Yugoslavia. More specifically, it considers the disapproval that issued continually from a circle of critics aligned with Praxis, a sociologically oriented journal that functioned as a major outlet for left-wing Marxist-humanist thought. The chapter first discusses the Praxis critique of capitalism, and especially consumerism and its hedonistic-utilitarian culture. It then considers the journal's position regarding the threat of consumerism to socialism, with particular emphasis on its critique of market culture and self-management. It also assesses the implications of the New Left critique of consumerism and the Praxisrevisionists' indictment of consumer society, which it argues could also be seen as a challenge to the fundamental direction of Yugoslav society and the legitimacy of those in power.Less

Getting It: Making Sense of Socialist Consumer Culture

Patrick Hyder Patterson

in Bought and Sold: Living and Losing the Good Life in Socialist Yugoslavia

This book examines Yugoslavia's consumer society and its consequences for both the life and the death of the country's experiment in reformist socialism and multiethnic federalism. Yugoslavia is a ... More

This book examines Yugoslavia's consumer society and its consequences for both the life and the death of the country's experiment in reformist socialism and multiethnic federalism. Yugoslavia is a country with a system of government that many once considered to be the best of all possible socialisms: a bold and noble, if flawed, experiment in tolerance and flexibility. The results were striking and the implications profound. From the mid-1950s on the political climate in Yugoslavia permitted, and later even encouraged, the acquisition of various consumer goods and services, and the consumption of experiences like holiday getaways, moviegoing, dancing and drinking in discotheques, and foreign travel. Focusing on the socialist period from 1945 to 1991, and especially the 1960s and 1970s, this book explores the varying social, cultural, and political meanings of consumption in Yugoslavia. The goal is to understand whether consumer culture mattered in Yugoslavia, with particular emphasis on the Yugoslav vision of the Good Life and the Yugoslav Dream.Less

Making It: Building a Socialist Brand of Market Culture

Patrick Hyder Patterson

in Bought and Sold: Living and Losing the Good Life in Socialist Yugoslavia

This chapter examines the primary factors that shaped market culture in Yugoslavia, with particular emphasis on the role played by specialists in advertising, retailing, and marketing, and by media ... More

This chapter examines the primary factors that shaped market culture in Yugoslavia, with particular emphasis on the role played by specialists in advertising, retailing, and marketing, and by media institutions such as television and the popular press. Beginning in the mid-1950s, advertising specialists gradually turned Yugoslavia into something without parallel in the world of state socialism: a place where, on a regular basis, ordinary citizens were bombarded with advertising messages. This chapter traces the rise of a domestic advertising industry amid socialist Yugoslavia's surprising and rapid transformation into a consumer society between 1950 and 1980. It also discusses the end of the Yugoslav Dream during the period 1980–1991, triggered in large part by country's economic decline.Less

Taming It: The Party-State Establishment and the Perils of Pleasure

Patrick Hyder Patterson

in Bought and Sold: Living and Losing the Good Life in Socialist Yugoslavia

This chapter examines how Josip Broz Tito and Yugoslavia's state authorities responded to the capitalist-style consumer society that emerged in the late 1960s. Socialist critics challenged the new ... More

This chapter examines how Josip Broz Tito and Yugoslavia's state authorities responded to the capitalist-style consumer society that emerged in the late 1960s. Socialist critics challenged the new Yugoslav culture of commercialism and the promotional activities that were driving it. However, the Yugoslav political-administrative establishment had produced surprisingly little in the way of official or even quasi-official rules or guidelines regarding these phenomena. This absence of concrete governmental measures to restrict market culture and check the perceived excesses of consumer culture is one of the most noticeable and distinctive features of the political history of consumption in Yugoslavia. This chapter argues that the state authorities' response to consumerism often did not match the intensity of the public debate, tending instead toward a pattern of fitful accommodation and resistance, with remarkable toleration punctuated by occasional ideological assaults for the purposes of discipline and restraint.Less

Introduction

in Consumer Chronicles: Cultures of Consumption in Modern French Literature

This book explores the socio-economic history of modern France as depicted in literary narratives from the end of the nineteenth century to the second half of the twentieth. It examines patterns of ... More

This book explores the socio-economic history of modern France as depicted in literary narratives from the end of the nineteenth century to the second half of the twentieth. It examines patterns of behaviour relating to shops and shopping, expenditure and consumption, focusing on novels that bear witness and give significance to the development of the French consumer society. It contextualises French literature within the socio-economic moment that gives rise to it and views each text as the centre where forces engaging with socio-economic realities converge.Less

The Condition of England, 1870–1970

P. S. Atiyah

in The Rise and Fall of Freedom of Contract

This chapter examines changes in the political and economic conditions in England during the period from 1870 to 1970 and the implications of these changes for freedom of contract. During this ... More

This chapter examines changes in the political and economic conditions in England during the period from 1870 to 1970 and the implications of these changes for freedom of contract. During this period, England became immeasurably richer than it had been previously and the consumer society arrived. This gave rise to a larger number of corporations, and trade unions acquired more power over individuals and the government. On the political side, central government became a vast bureaucracy and there was a great proliferation in the variety of government's manifestations in society.Less

Conclusion

Ian Rees Jones, Martin Hyde, Christina R. Victor, Richard D. Wiggins, Chris Gilleard, and Paul Higgs

in Ageing in a consumer society: From passive to active consumption in Britain

This concluding chapter presents an argument that the role of the UK's ageing population in consumer society has been relatively neglected. It emphasises that the trend to earlier retirement, as well ... More

This concluding chapter presents an argument that the role of the UK's ageing population in consumer society has been relatively neglected. It emphasises that the trend to earlier retirement, as well as the relative affluence of many retired people, is an important aspect of ageing in late modern societies. The cohorts of people who are now retiring are those who participated in the creation of the post-war consumer culture. Although these consumers have grown older, they have not stopped consuming. The discussion shows that their choices and behaviour are products of the collective histories of both cohort and generation.Less

From Political Conflict to Economic Growth, 1950–1965

CHUSHICHI TSUZUKI

in The Pursuit of Power in Modern Japan 1825–1995

Economically, the year 1955 was the beginning of rapid growth which resulted in the emergence of Japan as a world economic power. The rearmament of Japan, albeit on a limited scale, began in earnest ... More

Economically, the year 1955 was the beginning of rapid growth which resulted in the emergence of Japan as a world economic power. The rearmament of Japan, albeit on a limited scale, began in earnest in 1950 shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War. The chapter looks at political development during this time. Kishi Nobusuke connected the Japan which fought a war of aggression and the Japan which became America's loyal ally. In addition, the Miike coal-miners' struggle and the Anti-security Treaty struggle of 1960 are highlighted. The political confrontation of 1960 soon gave way to the rising tide of economism all round, for Japan had gone through the hardships of reconstruction and had entered a period of high economic growth. Finally, the chapter explores the education growth and the emergence of a mass consumer society.Less

Social change and later life

Ian Rees Jones, Martin Hyde, Christina R. Victor, Richard D. Wiggins, Chris Gilleard, and Paul Higgs

in Ageing in a consumer society: From passive to active consumption in Britain

This chapter provides some background information for studying the extent to which consumption is now a part of later life. The discussion begins by looking at the problem of studying later life in ... More

This chapter provides some background information for studying the extent to which consumption is now a part of later life. The discussion begins by looking at the problem of studying later life in the context of fast social change. It then charts the rise of mass consumer society in the United Kingdom and how this has related to the ideas of ‘generational change’. It uses recent developments in theories of high, late or second modernity in order to focus properly on the key areas of social change, as well as how these relate to the experiences of older people in society. The chapter also provides an overview of the next chapters and how they reflect and relate to the main theme of consumption.Less

White Heat: Consumption and the Consumer Society

Steven McKevitt

in The Persuasion Industries: The Making of Modern Britain

Chapter 1 looks at consumption, consumerism, and the emergence of the consumer society in Britain at the end of the twentieth century. It draws out the main academic debates concerning consumption ... More

Chapter 1 looks at consumption, consumerism, and the emergence of the consumer society in Britain at the end of the twentieth century. It draws out the main academic debates concerning consumption and its evolving role in society and explores changes in work, leisure, gender roles, family life, and living standards in the UK in the twentieth century. There follows an examination of the impact of the New Right and its ideology in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s and also the renaissance in popular culture from the 1970s, which not only helped to drive the expansion of the mass media but was also fueled by it. It concludes with an analysis of arguments presented by critics of affluence from the post-war period to the early twenty-first century. There is particular emphasis on the role of persuasion within market economies.Less

Epilogue

Carolyn M. Goldstein

in Creating Consumers: Home Economists in Twentieth-Century America

In the 1920s and 1930s, home economists succeeded in finding a series of professional niches in government and business that provided opportunities for them to assert themselves as mediators in the ... More

In the 1920s and 1930s, home economists succeeded in finding a series of professional niches in government and business that provided opportunities for them to assert themselves as mediators in the marketplace for consumer products. In the last century, home economists served as a leading group of experts shaping modern American consumer society. This book demonstrates that home economists emerged as a diverse social group that shaped popular ideas about consumer products. By unmasking the historical presence of home economists in the marketplace, the book shows that ways in which they influenced the discourses and experiences of consumption in twentieth-century America. This conclusion argues that while home economists' identifiable role in American consumer culture has all but disappeared in the twenty-first century, their legacy as mediators in the historical development of American consumer society persists today, especially with regard to the notion of professional and scientific expertise.Less

Cohort, generation and time

Ian Rees Jones, Martin Hyde, Christina R. Victor, Richard D. Wiggins, Chris Gilleard, and Paul Higgs

in Ageing in a consumer society: From passive to active consumption in Britain

This chapter talks about the theoretical underpinnings of the concepts of cohorts, generation, and time, while referencing the work of Mannheim and others. The analysis that is presented in this ... More

This chapter talks about the theoretical underpinnings of the concepts of cohorts, generation, and time, while referencing the work of Mannheim and others. The analysis that is presented in this chapter is based on large, standardised surveys of expenditure patterns. It is considered to be a necessary and important first step in the understanding of how later life is formed by and contributes to the formation of consumer society.Less