Work, Consumption and Capitalism

Sonic branding, guerrilla marketing, celebrity endorsements, customer service excellence and multi-channel advertising are just some of the popular sales techniques that currently promote consumerism in contemporary capitalism. Considerable energy is devoted to encouraging consumers to desire new fashions, to celebrate 'good design', to have feelings for brands and to immerse themselves in sensory experiences, without worrying about the ethics of their practices. Work, Consumption and Capitalism looks at how consumption is produced by focusing on the multiple kinds of work that make consumption possible, from advertising creatives to fashion designers, from self-service checkouts to the hippest barista in the coolest coffee shop. The text encourages students to consider the place of consumerism in global capitalism to develop their own answers to the question: How is consumption made possible? This wide-ranging study of the relations between work, consumption and capitalism draws on interdisciplinary research in cultural and economic sociology, history, marketing studies and cultural studies. With research tasks and discussion questions at the end of each chapter and case studies throughout, it stands as an accessible introduction for students of sociology, business and management, media and communication, cultural policy and cultural studies. Listen to a podcast about the book. A wide-ranging interdisciplinary study of the relations between work, consumption and capitalism. This engaging and accessible text draws on research to explore the multiple fields of work that make consumption possible, compelling students to evaluate the role of consumption in global capitalism and question how consumption is made possible. Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 9 List of Tables and Abbreviations 10 1 Introduction 12 2 Global Capitalism 26 3 Consumption 54 4 Work 85 5 Doing Work 116 6 Emotion 143 7 Aesthetics 174 8 Ethics 203 9 Taking Seriously the Production of Consumption 226 Bibliography 232 Index 265