When ethics alone are not enough: The role of politics in consumer studies

Environmental, financial and social instability have resulted in significant attitudinal shifts, consumption decisions are politicised as consumer-citizens are called upon to recognise that their decisions have social,... [ view full abstract ]

Environmental, financial and social instability have resulted in significant attitudinal shifts, consumption decisions are politicised as consumer-citizens are called upon to recognise that their decisions have social, ethical, environmental and political implications. In consumer research the term ‘ethical consumption’ has emerged to capture alternative forms of consumption which characterise this evolution. This research employs an ethnographic research approach in combining phenomenological interviewing and five periods of participant observation. Data sources include several forms of documentation related to the ecovillage including electronic media, the ecovillage website, internal documentation and unstructured, in-depth interviews with eight members of an operational ecovillage. Through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this paper examines the dominant discourses which lie at the heart of this ecovillage an operating ecovillage. In light of our preliminary findings this research interrogates the implications of using the term ‘ethical consumer’, especially in relation to politically active consumer-citizens dedicated to environmental and social change. Early stage analysis reveals interesting subtleties in how the term 'ethical consumer' is understood by members of the community. Further analysis is required together with a more critical reading of the extant literature on both ethical and political consumerism.