Page 313 - The ISA Handbook in Contemporary Sociology

9781412934633-Chap-19 1/10/09 8:53 AM Page 284

284 THE ISA HANDBOOK IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGY

health and safety) and the right to sufficient (Micheletti 2003a, 2003b, 2004; Micheletti
information to make an informed choice. and Stolle, 2003; Micheletti et al., 2003;
This consumerism broadly shares the eco- Stolle and Hooghe, 2004; Stolle et al., 2003),
nomic vision of capitalism, is part of the con- political consumerism is clearly a ‘non-con-
sumer society and uses its rules of operation ventional’ form of political participation that
(market sanctions, labelling and lobbying) to appears within the space of the market
attain objectives (the defence of individual economy. This is a form of ‘individualized
rights) that are in accord with the system. It collective action’, adapted to contemporary
is embodied in the organizations and social individualism, and permitting a mode of civic
movements that have demanded the regula- engagement which is more closely related to
tion of products (safety and quality) and daily life. They see responsible consumerism
support for consumers’ right to pay the best as favouring personal expression, speaking
price. up, creativity, and identity performance, all
The ‘new form of consumerism’, or politi- dimensions of political participation that
cal consumerism, seeks for its part to go cannot be overlooked in any traditional
beyond economic interests and individual analysis of socially acceptable ways of
consumer rights by putting forward collective expressing ideas. As purchasing goods has
interests, such as social justice, protection of become practically the only way of procuring
the environment, workers’ rights and fair pay. commodities necessary for the reproduction
In addition to its concern with product qual- of life, we can understand that, for individu-
ity, this consumerism directly addresses the als, a purchase gives the impression of
methods of production, the rules of trade, the making a gesture with direct repercussions in
rule of maximum profit and the culture of the marketplace. It is a much more effective
mass consumption. Michele Micheletti has gesture than expressing oneself through an
defined political consumerism as follows: anonymous institutional political system,
which is full of distortions and intermedi-
[P]olitical consumerism is choice among producers
and products with the goal of changing objection- aries. It is in this way that some advance the
able institutional or market practices. These slogan ‘buying is voting’ and affirm that one
choices are informed by attitudes and values can, thanks to repeated actions, ‘change the
regarding issues of justice, fairness, or non- world one act (of purchase) at a time’
economic issues that concern personal and family
well-being and ethical and political assessment of (Waridel, 2003, 2005).
favorable and unfavorable business and govern- Using the language of reflexive moderniza-
ment practices. Political consumers engage individ- tion of Ulrich Beck (1992, 1996) and of the
ually or collectively in such choice situations. Their cultural transition of Inglehart, the works of
market choices reflect an understanding of mate- researchers around Michele Micheletti per-
rial products as embedded in a complex social and
normative context. (Micheletti, 2003a: 1) ceive Western citizens as reflexive individuals,
obliged by the context to become autonomous
and responsible for their fate. On the one hand,
their reflexivity makes them aware of the risks
of industrialization and, on the other hand,
POLITICAL CONSUMERISM AS
their disappointment with the promises of lib-
NON-CONVENTIONAL POLITICAL eral democracy and the welfare-state makes
PARTICIPATION AND AS them sceptical of the ability of political institu-
INDIVIDUALIZED COLLECTIVE ACTION tions to regulate these matters. In this context,
the traditional political space is strongly criti-
This definition of responsible consumerism cized: political representatives and institutions
includes it as a form of political participation appear increasingly distanced from people’s
and makes it accessible in concepts of politi- lives and incapable of regulating issues of
cal science. Thus, for a group of researchers economic, political and cultural globalization.