Macquarie University

Consumption and the Consumer: Global Perspectives - SOCI226

Consumption is not simply about the law of supply and demand or frivolous lifestyle choices. When someone purchases fast-fashion clothes, Fair Trade coffee or accommodation at a five star hotel, it is simultaneously about the consumer’s identity, social status, the ethics of labour, the workings of global capitalism, and the creation of meaning. Taking a global and historically sensitive approach, the unit is designed to develop students’ understanding of everyday consumption in the context of critical social, cultural, economic and environmental challenges our societies face. The focus is the development and transformation of the consumer culture and practices since the rise of modernity and questions of power in relation to gender, race/ethnicity, class and other markers of difference. The topics covered include commodities and branding in the digital era; consumer activism and corporate responsibility; environmental sustainability; tourism and leisure; fashion; gentrification; and anti-consumption, amongst others. This unit is suitable for a wide range of students, including those interested in society and culture, gender studies, political economy, social justice, marketing, business studies, and economics.