1st Edition

Cross-Cultural Consumption Global Markets, Local Realities

Edited By David Howes Copyright 1996
    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    Goods are imbued with meanings and uses by their producers. When they are exported, they can act as a means of communication or domination. However, there is no guarantee that the intentions of the producer will be recognized, much less respected, by the consumer from another culture. Cross-Cultural Consumption is a fascinating guide to the cultural implications of the globalization of a consumer society. The chapters address topics ranging from the clothing of colonial subjects in South Africa and the rise of the hypermarket in Argentina, to the presentation of culture in international tourist hotels. Through their examination of cultural imperialism and cultural appropriation of the representation of otherness and identity, Howes and his contributors show how the increasingly global flow of goods and images challenges the very idea of the cultural border and creates new spaces for cultural invention. Marian Bredin, Concordia University, Constance Classen, Jean Comaroff, University of Chicago, Mary Crain, University of Barcelona, Carol Handrickson, Marlboro Colleg

    List of figures, Notes on contributors, Acknowledgements, INTRODUCTION: COMMODITIES AND CULTURAL BORDERS, Part I The mirror of consumption, Part II Consuming the ‘other’, Part III Consumption and identity, Bibliography, Index

    Biography

    David Howes

    'An informative study of movement in the contemporary world. Through a collection of theoretically underpinned ethnographic studies, the book is a critique of a thesis of the globalisation of western consumer culture.' - Stef Jansen, Anthropology in Action