Being Human in a Consumer Society

Being Human in a Consumer Society

Barcelona, Spain | March 31-April 2, 2011

Meeting Summary:

In this meeting, STI aimed to uncover some of the paradoxes of consumer culture, to examine structuralist and phenomenological approaches to the consumer paradigm and critique their effectiveness in analyzing engagement in consumer culture, and to develop a framework for describing the risks that consumer societies pose to authentic human development. By inviting sociologists, philosophers, and business educators and professionals, STI took account of the diverse interests inherent in this debate to encourage a broad consensus on the largest question herein: how to authentically seek the “good life” in the modern world.

Principal Inquiries:

• What significant cultural or structural transformations can be identified in consumer society, in comparison to earlier societies?
• In dealing with consumption, what is the relation between individual motivations and structural constraints? How can these two concepts be linked in order to understand consumer society and its dynamics?
• What processes and tendencies have been –and still are– relevant for the consolidation of a culture of consumption? How does consumption culture affect our understanding of the nature of human beings and praxis?
• To what extent does the culture of consumption spread to other social spheres, affecting social relationships? What are the limits, if any, of this extension?
• In what ways can a culture of consumption lead to isolation, individualization or commodification of human beings?


Speakers:

Talbot Brewer - University of Virginia
Reflections on the Cultural Commons

Colin Campbell - University of York
Should We Blame it on the Joneses? Conspicuous Consumption and the Threat to Sustainability 

Pablo Garcia Ruiz - University of Zaragoza
The Two Faces of Consumerism: When Things Make Us (in)Human

Stjepan Mestrovic - Texas A&M University
Post-emotional Law in Consumer Society

Allison Pugh - University of Virginia
The Planned Obsolescence of Other People: Consumer Culture, Insecurity and Connection

George Ritzer - University of Maryland
The Dehumanized Consumer: Does the Prosumer Offer Some Hope?

Roberta Sassatelli - University of Milan
Consumers, Bodies and Selves. Framing Humanity Consumerwise

Efrat Tseëlon - University of Leeds
The Challenge of Ethical Fashion

Discussants: 

Karin Ekström - University of Boras
Alejandro Garcia - University of Navarra 
Melissa Moschella - Princeton University
Lucia Ruggerone - Università della Valle d'Aosta
Joshua Yates - Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture/University of Virginia 

Moderator:

Ann Brach - National Academy of Sciences

Academic Leader:

Ana Marta González - University of Navarra
Opening Remarks:  Being Human in a Consumer Society

Read Professor González' opening remarks.

Read the abstracts of the presented papers.