Place of Consumerism in New Middle Classes

Place of Consumerism in New Middle ClassesWhat is the place of Consumerism in the modus vivendi of rising new nitty-gritty classes in Ireland? Basically an application of a Bourdieu/ Featherstone argument closely new mid(prenominal)dle classes to the Irish case.Chapter One IntroductionIn order to examine the place of Consumerism in the bread and nonwithstandingterstyle of emerging new middle classes in Ireland, the ideas of Consumerism, modus vivendi and emergent new middle classes moldiness first be assignd. Accordingly these definitions forget occupy the preliminary discussions of this dissertation in the relevant instalments. The dissertation bequeath examine the role of emergent middle classes, and will attempt to tie this discussion to compendium of how and why demographic trends such as the emergence of new middle classes have evolved, and what place Consumerism has in the lifestyles of those individuals inwardly these new demographic cleavages.Economic events and s ocio- frugal developments (both historical and contemporary) consorted to these events have been the main precipitative forces responsible for these emergent sociological contoursi. The scotch and socio- scotch climate in Ireland and how this has developed will therefore be a kernel tiptop in examining the role of emergent new middle classes and how Consumerism has impacted the role and lifestyle of these sectors.These ideas will be introduced in the literature review and they will be fleshed out done with(predicate)out the thesis in order to gain a holistic and comprehensive insight into the place of Consumerism in the lifestyle of emergent new middle classes in Ireland. This analysis will be contextualised with reference to the theories of Bourdieu (1979) and Featherstone (1992) whose heathen perspectives on partnership have mainly rationalised Consumerism in borders of deferivity and individual perceptions therefore repudiating the idea that Consumerism is simply an ob jective, breakaway market force which operates at bottom neo-classicalii and laissez-faireiii boundaries. Images of Irish society will be very important in this thesis and the images/themes which will be examined by dint ofout the thesis to facilitate this discussion of Consumerism are images of secularisation, images of Class Dealignment, images connected with the Celtic Tiger and the process of diversification.The next section will examine the methodology of the thesis. This will link the above mentioned theoretical definitions, arguments and analysis into the wider empirical and qualitative aims of the thesis. The chosen methodology is hold forth analysis, and turning to a discussion of the definition of what exactly this is, is a natural progression. Accordingly, this discussion of definition will fol get-go in the next section. The next section will too introduce the methodological framework of the thesis. It will define the various applications and forms of preaching a nalysis and it will explain how these will be considered throughout the thesis.Chapter Two methodology give-and-take AnalysisThis thesis will rely primarily upon empirical evidence gathered through colloquy analysis. The writer has selected a number of cultural themes from selected publications and these will be examined empirically and through discourse analysis. These are diversificationiv (both semipolitical and cultural), images of Class Dealignment, images of secularised society and the imputations which arise from the phrase Celtic Tigerv. These will be regarded at in depth as the thesis progresses, and will be placed within the context of wider themes of scotch, political and socio- frugal itemors which the writer will withal examine in terms of broad and contextual discourse analysis. talk of analysis is an interdisciplinaryvi method of analysing sociological trendsvii through the analysis of languageviii and speechix, and how political ideas are disseminated through languagex. This method will be designd throughout the dissertation as a means of analysing the place of Consumerism in the lifestyle of emergent middle classes.Discourse analysis has been differentiated and divided into niche areas in terms of its application. For example, discourse analysis may be used on a micro scale which would involve subtile analysis of grammatical structurexi, language and the compositionxii of languagexiii. This is not a method which will be concentrated upon in this thesis, as the much expansive niches within discourse analysis, which concentrates upon contextxiv and cultural, political and other sociological forces are more appropriate shipway to analyse the question title. This is because the concentration of discourse analysis in terms of wider contextxv and a focus on specifically identified themes quite a than minute formxvi and constructionsxvii gives the writer a lot more room to analyse political, cultural, sociological, demographic and eco nomic trends, which is the ultimate goal of this thesis enquiry.Chimombo, M. and Roseberry, R. (1998) give us the sideline in depth definition of discourse analysisDiscourse is a process resulting in a communicative act. The communicative act itself takes the form of a text. A text is comm scarce thought of as consisting of written or printed words on a page but a text may also consist of sign language or spoken words, or it may comprise only the thoughts of a writer, or speaker, on the one hand, or a reader or listener, on the other. In addition to words, a text may consist of other symbols, sounds, gestures, or silences, in any combination that is incourseed to communicate information such as ideas, emotional put forwards, and attitudes. It may fail to communicate, but if the plan to communicate is clearly there, it must be regarded as a text..xviii.Chimombo, M. and Roseberry, R. (1998) then go on explain how this abstract definition applies within the context of methodologyAn alysis of discourse is a methodology for examining texts and the communicative process that gives rise to them. Its primary purpose is to enable discourse analysts to gain a deeper chthonicstand and appreciation of texts. Because most texts are goal oriented, part of the purpose of discourse analysis is to enable large number to recognize the intended goal of the writer or speaker and thus achieve some bank note of control over the discourse..The understanding that may be gained in this way helps to equalize the government agency family and enables an escape from the role of victim such that individuals may assume a greater point in sequence of control over their stick outs. This book demonstrates that discourse is typically used to a greater or slighter degree for exploitation. Different types of discourse are intended to exploit consumers, voters, exerciseees, children, women, minorities, and many other groups within society. An mogul to analyze discourse offers such groups a means of protection.xix.A discourse is therefore an dental amalgam of perspective. These perspectives are oft political, economic or ideological in nature, since the articulation of a perspective through discourse is often underpinned by struggles for political power and trancexx. This in turn imputes that a discourse has a special connection with politics and with economics and that cultural discourses have often been appended to these primary discourses. Chimombo, M. and Roseberry, R. (1998) make this point very strongly in the adjacent passage.The term control implies a power relationship amidst those who produce texts and those for whom these texts are intended. For example, politicians, lawyers, doctors, advertisers, business executives, teachers, and many others exercise power over their clients through the discourse that is characteristic of these professionals. Analysis of professional discourse can reveal these power relationships and the goals that may be pr ivy in them. .xxi.Cultural discourses may also be seen as having evolved indirectly from political, economic and ideological discoursesxxii. A cultural discourse may therefore be rationalised as secondary in many ways to a political/ideological and to an economic discourse. However, it is important to understand that cultural discourses often exist within the framework of these arguably more primary discoursesxxiii. Also, one must remember that an analysis of cultural discourse, without an adequate analysis of the wider context of the discourse and its relationship with other discourses will not be a thinkable analysis. The writers regard for a cultural discourse as a secondary discourse is an exposition of how cultural discourse has evolved it is not intended to demarcate cultural discourse as less relevant than political, economic or ideological discourse. Clearly, cultural discourses have qualified and enriched these wider, politically tuned discourses and this in itself is a unique and powerful mechanism of change.This explains the central nature of wider political discourse analysis in this thesis and it also explains why Fairclough (1995) xxiv in particular has argued that discourse analysis centres on the recital of political and ideological discourses. It is important to remember however that cultural discourse analysis is intertwined with these primary discourses in a subtile but imperative way.The following chapters will deal with definitions of lifestyle and consumerism. They will also introduce a general discourse analysis which will centre on the selected themes mentioned above and how they ultimately relate to politics, economics, and the demographic and sociological trends which have been emerging in Ireland over the last twenty yearsxxv. The concept of emergent middle classes will be define in the following chapters also and this definition will lead into a broad and contextual discourse analysis of how middle classes emerged in Ireland. The effects of this emergence will be discussed, but all of these threads of analysis will ultimately be drawn together to look at the place of Consumerism in the lifestyle of emergent new middle classes in Ireland, and the arguments that have been make in this area by Bourdieu (1979) and Featherstone (1992).Chapter Three Literature ReviewWhat is Consumerism?Clarke (2003) gives us the following definition and explanation of Consumerism within the context of culture.Bauman (1992c, 24) reflects that the strange dialectic of dependence and autonomy between consumer and consumer society is indeed not unlike that of the grammar and vocabulary of language and formed sentences of speech the latter are in no way determined by the former and move freely within the frame it provides. The practice of inlet amounts, in other words, to an act of enunciation, which takes place in a space filled with unattached signifiers a space awaiting attribution of meaning (ibid.). The consumer is in no wa y manipulated, nor consumer behaviour determined, even though the consumer is officially deprived of autonomy in all forms but the duplicitous form of license of choice. The proliferation of relations of trust, the assurance on specialist knowledge and expertise, and the privatization of the task of constructing some form of continuity of life-experience are unavoidable features of life in a consumer society. But consumers are nonetheless in a position to make of their post something other than what is intended. The problem, however, is that, as an act through which the presence of the individual can be confirmed and reasserted (ibid.), inhalation and the relations of trust it entails provides an opportunistic means for the perpetuation and dramatic expansion of capitalism..xxvi.Therefore, as has been argued above, Consumerism is a term which describes the links between happiness, material goods/possessions and humansxxvii. It can be argued that Consumerism refers to the ide a that material goods and possessions induce feelings of happiness and because all behaviours which may be linked to the endorsement of this rationale may also be expound as Consumerismxxviii. Consumerism is an idea which was considered by Karl Marxxxix, whose famous critique of Consumerism and capitalist ideology (Communismxxx) interpreted ideas of Consumerism as degraded and subversivexxxi.In modern terms Socialism rejects ideas related to Consumerism in a more moderate way, but the premise upon which Socialism is built mirrors Communism in its suspicion of Consumerismxxxii. Consumerism may also be exposit in terms of economic behaviour and policy. If one considers Consumerism in an abstract manner, it is executable to argue that the granting immunity of individuals to read how to spend money/dissipate resources manifests itself as Consumerism, since the marketing of goods to a consumer encourages them to exercise their freedom to choose what to purchase. Clarke (2003) has noted that this is an ongoing and repetitive process The act of consumption is destined to repeat itself, since the human subject is irresistibly compelled to seek a unity and coherence it can never knowxxxiii.Ideas relating to Consumerism have traditionally been associated with Western societies and have also been particularly synonymous with neo-liberal capitalism. However, it may be argued that with the growing influence of globalization and technological advancements, the impact of Consumerism is a global one as opposed to the more traditional interpretation of Consumerism as be tied particularly to certain cultures, more so than to others. Ultimately, however, Consumerism is connected to the ideas of human rationality, freedom and choice and has evolved as a means whereby human wants are satisfied. Accordingly, Consumerism may also be seen as a sociological force since, the light of social standings within society can be defined in many ways according to material wealth and t he accumulation of material possessions.Consumerism is a decomposable idea which may be interpreted objectively as well as subjectively. This characteristic of Consumerism has invited the levels of cultural, sociological and economic analysis which the theory of Consumerism seems to have attracted. Therefore, the evolution of Consumerism and the various interpretations of the current status of Consumerism will be relevant to this thesis. Consumerism its construction and its manifestation can be seen to oscillate with cultural mores and the development of society. This is how Consumerism may also be seen as an evolving social construct.Certainly Bourdieu (1979), Lash and Urry (1994) as well as Baudrillard (1993) consider Consumerism as a malleable social constructxxxiv, which has developed mostly as a result of the growing economic affluencexxxv which may be seen in Irelandxxxvi. Their views are that class is demarcated in terms of taste, culture and lifestylexxxvii, whereas histori cally this stock was less obvious since economic limitations precluded individuals from expressing taste, culture and lifestyle in the diverse ways that are possible today. Their analysis goes on to argue that Consumerism is the vehicle through which this transition has taken effect, since diversities in taste, culture and lifestyle have largely been introduced through the marketing of Consumerism and consumerist values. Therefore the accessibility of diversity to individuals has increased as economic conditions and Consumerism have delivered more choice to the individual.Emergent New Middle ClassesMiddle classes is a somewhat overused term. It has historically been used to differentiate the economically disadvantaged within society from those whose incomes and resources provide them with enough money to live independently and relatively affluently within society, generally occupying the middle ground between rich and poor within society. The emergent new middle classes that are re ferred to in the scope of this thesis can be treasure as the product of an increasingly affluent society within Irelandxxxviii, emerging as more individuals welfare from the high schooler standards of living that may be seen as a result of what is colloquially known as the Celtic Tigerxxxix.Cronin (2000) has an analysis of individual cultural thought which allows us to interpret the emergence of middle classes in a purely cultural and subjective context. He arguesDiprose (1994) states that the Lockean model defines the individual as an entity which maintains the same consciousness over time and through corporeal changes, for example illness or pregnancy, thus giving primacy to the reason or consciousness over the body. Further more, the individual is defined as having equal self-presence in which, an entity is identical with itself if it has the same origin in time and space (Diprose 19949). So the individuation necessary for the processes of mutual recognition to occur require s a temporally bounded entity. Simultaneously, the individual is spatially bounded through the distinction between self and not-self which is produced in that same process of recognition. Here arises the constitutive contradiction of contract, identical self-presence and change in these political fictions, the individual is said to have a self-contained identity prior to contract or relations with others (Diprose 1994). Patemans (1988) analysis of the contradictory production of womens and subordinate groups status in contract echoes this tension. For the processes of contractual exchange to occur, an individual must recognise another as an individual. The characteristics that this requires are rationality and the possession of propertyxl.Therefore, it is plausible that the emergence of new cleavages of middle classes in Ireland has arisen both through a combination of objective, market forces have with the forces which incur individual self-perception and this in turn drives an individual to represent themselves and ultimately project this representation.Chapter FourDiscourse Analysis of Economic Growth in IrelandThe development of the economy in Irelandxli has created unprecedentedxlii levels of wealthxliii and affluencexliv within Ireland1. Accordingly this section will specifically examine the nature and underpinnings of economic progress in Ireland as this has largely granted rise toxlv and sustainedxlvi emergent new middle classes as the Consumerism which has evolved alongside these sectors.Economic growth in Ireland may be explained in terms of ideological transitionxlvii, the influence of the European confederacyxlviii and the influence of political leadersxlix throughout this boundary of economic transitionl. Macro economic point of intersection theoriesli may also help explain the transplants in economic conditions seen in Irelandlii. These factors are given more in depth analysis below.The decline of state interventionism and state protecti onismliii in Ireland led to palpable ideological shifts within the countryliv. In an international setting, the ideological foundations of the welfare statelv were being replaced with more modern neo-liberal2 conceptions of political philosophylvi. This trend was particularly notable in Britain with the election of Margaret Thatcher and her subsequent debunking of Keynes economiclvii theorylviii. These ideological shifts, which influenced Irelandlix, (although not until many years later) partly laid the foundations for the economic revolutionlx which was to come about in the mid-ninetieslxi.Charles Haughey who had been in power periodically since 1979, was re-elected Taoiseach in 1987, during a deep economic recessionlxii. Haugheys predecessor in 1987 was G. Fitzgerald. These two individuals are widely recognised as having laid the foundations for economic stability in the democracy of Ireland, with a recognition that appraiseation needed to be reorganised to stimulate economic e nterprise and growth. Consequently, under Haughey public spending was decreased and spending on public sector employment and bureaucracy was also reducedlxiii. This produced a dividend in the form of economic stability, lower levels of inflation and relatively rejuvenated economic growth. Again this stirred employment conditions, reducing unemployment and creating the conditions for coronation in enterprise. Tax cuts were then directed at the manufacturing industrieslxiv, and later tax breaks for particular sectors of industry augmented these economic dividends in the form of a stimulated economy and greater levels of employment. These economic conditions led to a reduced reliance on agricultural enterpriselxv and this is known as economic diversificationlxvi.The relationship between Ireland and the European Community and Irelands accession to the European Community in the early 1970s marked a high point politicallylxvii, culturally and economicallylxviii for Irelandlxix. However, the influence of the European Community on the situation of Ireland is a controversial area of debate at the momentlxx. Some have argued that the influence of the European Union has been instrumental in the growth of Irelands economylxxi, whereas conversely there are arguments which suggest that the role of the European Community has been over stated, misunderstood and even misrepresentedlxxii. Both propositions will be considered by the writer in following sections.The theory that Ireland prospered payable to entry to the European Community has been critiqued as a facile theorylxxiii and this argument may be seen as even more cogent given that Powell (2003) has argued that if Ireland had prospered due to entry to the European Community, then the effects of EC investment would be identifiable and tangible. The reality is that European investment in Ireland produced some economic benefits, but the prosperity which Ireland enjoyed was precipitated by a plethora of events and shifts, which cumulatively produced the effects known as the Celtic Tigerlxxiv. One such shift is known as the convergence theory and economic growth in Ireland has been rationalised in terms of the convergence theory in the following way.This theory suggests that the Celtic Tiger was not precipitated by circumstances, affiliations (in particular to the European Community) or events, but rather by the operation of a group of economic forces which argues that over time similar countries with similar institutions tend to perform economically in a congruous way. In this sense, the Celtic Tiger has been rationalised as a convergence as opposed to a phenomenon. Historically, this theory is plausible, as Ireland was dogged by recession in spite of entry into the EEC in 1973, under the tenure of Jack Lynchlxxv. This recession continued until the climax of Charles Haughey, and G. Fitzgerald who addressed the failing tax system in the democracy of Irelandlxxvi.The conception of taxation had been entirely challenged and revise in Ireland over the last twenty yearslxxvii. This shift led to the realisation of the above mentioned ideological ideas substantively and not in effect(p) rhetorically. The mid eighties in Ireland was a period characterised by high taxation and low employmentlxxviii. Taxation was regarded as a method of bolstering the economylxxix This had an adverse effect of investment, thwarted business and led to high levels of unemploymentlxxx. In many ways this is what thwarted the progress of the economy, forcing class alignment along economic lines. Powell (2003) has argued that just prior to the millennium GDP in Ireland was $25,500 per capita, whereas in Britain this figure was approximately $23,000 per capita. This can be contrasted with the fact that in the late 1980s GDP per capita in Ireland was only approximately 65%, that of the UK GDP per capitalxxxi. This economic revolution has been referred to in colloquial and cultural terms as the growth of the Celtic Tiger.The use of the term Celtic Tiger is of great significance and it may be rationalised in terms of cultural symbolism in the following wayHuman encounter with the world has always been a deeply enigmatic affair. Traditionally, human societies attained a measure of ontological security from social arrangements that accepted the fundamental ambivalence of the world (Giddens 1990 1994). Because traditional modes of existence were symbolically tied to the world of appearances, such societies were able to employ well established, ritualized ways and means of being-in-the-worldlxxxii.The effects of cultural symbolism may be further delved into through examining this explanation of existence and illusions which are imparted through the appearance of thingsThe continuity of such an existence was assured by the experience of tradition alone, and legitimated by forces beyond human powers. Nature in the infinite detail of its illusive manifestations was conceived above all as the work of hidden wills (Bloch 1962, 83). This world of illusion amounted, in other words, to an bankers acceptance of the illusion of the world (the term illusion is apt not in the sense of its power to put on you, but in its power to put something into play, to create something scene, space, a game, a rule of the game to invent, in fact, the mode of appearance of things (Baudrillard 1993b, 59-60)). Modernity, in stark contrast, was founded firmly on the disavowal of the fact that ambivalence is indispensable that appearances are intrinsically deceptive. Modernity was founded on a commitment to the reality of the world (Bauman 1991). Modernity thus held out the dream of an attainable order. And order, as the promise of the removal of ambivalence and contingency from the world, necessarily rolling wave contingency as a threat, and demonized ambivalence. This was, of course, a complex and multifaceted affair. It involved, for instance, a transformation of time, as time became the property of man (Le Goff 1980, 51)lxxxiii.Therefore the concept of a tiger married to the concept of Celtic and Celticnesslxxxiv conveys, in metaphorical terms the speed and the pervasiveness of the new found wealth which swept through Ireland in the mid nineties, changing and fuelling market forces such as Consumerism. This terminologylxxxv is relevant in cultural terms since it conveys the prosperity which pervaded Ireland during this period, and continues to drive the Irish economy as one of the wealthiest countries in the European Unionlxxxvi.This led to a dramatic shift in cultural mores and led to a redefining of class boundaries. The term Celtic Tiger also axial motion Ireland in an advantageous light internationally, advertising the economic growth and success which the country was experiencing. This attracted foreign investment interest and raised the profile of Ireland internationally, as well as serving to extricate Ireland from the damaging and often distorted image of a country dependent on EEC funding and support.Demographically, the influence of economic forces was also dramatic and widespread. More people were in employment in Ireland and this led to a heap in industry, investment and enterpriselxxxvii. The tourist and the service sector industries surged forward economically, changing the sociological and cultural contours of the Republic of Ireland. Small businesses expanded and more people built hotels, shops, restaurants and food outletslxxxviii. This impacted upon the tourist industry which thrived as more people were attracted to visiting locations within Ireland that were more accessible and invitinglxxxix. This trend too had a overhead on effect with more leisure facilities being built, and a general emphasis on renew services and facilities in the interests of attracting tourists