Labnet: CfP: Business and Labour History Group, Symposium and Special Issue of Consumption, Markets & Culture

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[Cross-posted, with thanks, from EH-Net. AB]

From: Greg Patmore <g.patmore at econ.usyd.edu.au>

Consumption, Markets & Culture

Mirrored Histories: Consumption and Work in the Asia Pacific 
Special Edition Call for Papers

Editors:
Dr. Teresa Davis, The University of Sydney, Australia Associate
Professor 
Greg Patmore, The University of Sydney, Australia

This special issue will focus on a particular objective of Consumption,
Markets & Culture as articulated by the editors "to take part in
inquiring in and construction of the material conditions and meanings of
consumption and production."

Varman and Vikas (2007) in a recent Consumption, Markets & Culture
article re-examine consumption as the 'new' definer of identities and
individuals (Belk 1988 and Ritzer 2004) and suggest that production
(work) still constrains and constructs aspects of the
'consumer-citizen'. "Thus the separation of production and consumption
is itself an elitist privilege only to be exercised by a small minority
in the globalized world" (p.123).

The intertwined worlds of the worker who is the consumer, the consumer
who co-produces, and the pro-sumer need to be revisited in this new
borderless market place. In this special issue we wish to focus
particularly on Baudrillard's (1998) notion of the dual 'orders' of
production and consumption and the evolution of their relationship over
time. Thus we seek papers that focus on a historical
perspectives/methods to examine the shifts and changes in shaping,
constructing the spheres of work and consumption, and of the
worker/consumer.

Is the role of markets in creating these identities more than merely a
mechanism for translating the individual worker/consumer's preferences
into production? If the market is left as the single institution of
legitimation in our societies, do other political, social and cultural
institutions no longer have the legitimizing authority that they
traditionally had? (Firat, Sherry and Venkatesh 1994 p.315).

Papers that examine the way work/production and consumption play out in
the dynamic discourses of the marketplace are invited.

Topics for papers could include (but is by no means limited to)
historical perspectives/methods focusing on:

Nostalgia in Work and Consumption

Constructing the worker/consumer/citizen

Retail Co-operatives

Retailing, distribution and the family

Geographies of retailing and distribution

Migration, work and consumption

Shopping, leisure and work

Advertising, work and consuming

Geographically, the Asia -Pacific as a region is of particular focus.

Intending contributors should electronically submit an abstract (1000
words) to the editors by the 21 March 2008 for consideration. Intending
contributors are encouraged to participate in a symposium/workshop to be
held at the University of Sydney, Australia, on 20 June 2008. Full
papers (5,000 -10000 words) will be due on 6 June 2008. The date for
submission of the final paper for the consideration of the special issue
of Consumption, Markets & Culture (not restricted to symposium
participants) will be Friday 18 July 2008.

A limited amount of financial assistance will be available for overseas
participants in the symposium/workshop.

The symposium is organised by the Business and Labour History Group,
Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney and we
acknowledge the financial support of the Faculty of Economics and
Business, The University of Sydney. All enquiries regarding the
symposium and the special issue of Consumption, Markets and Culture
should be addressed to the editors at either t.davis at econ.usyd.edu.au or
g.patmore at econ.usyd.edu.au

References

Baudrillard, Jean. (1998) Consumer Society: myths and Structures. 
Translated Chris Turner, Sage Publications Ltd: London

Belk, Russell W. (1988) Possessions and the Extended Self. Journal of
Consumer Research 15: 139-68

Firat, Fuat, John Sherry, and Alladi Venkatesh. (1994). Post modernism,
marketing and the Consumer. International Journal of Research in
Marketing 11: 311-16.

Ritzer, George. (2004). Enchantment in a Disenchanted World:
Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption. Second edition Thousand Oaks:
Pine Forge.

Varman, Rohit and Ram Manohar Vikas. (2007). Freedom and Consumption:
Toward Conceptualizing Systemic Constraints for Subaltern Consumers in a
Capitalist Society. Consumption, Markets and Culture 10: 117-131

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