consumption and theories of practice

Consumption and Theories of Practice

Alan Warde | Journal of Consumer Culture, 2005

About the Author

BA – University of Cambridge (UK)

MA – University of Durham (UK)

PhD – University of Leeds (UK)

Presently he teaches sociology at the

University of Manchester (UK)

Areas of Expertise:

Sociology of Consumption;

Food;

Theories of Practice;

Sociology of Culture;

Sustainable Consumption.

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Theory of

Practice???

Was ist das?

PORTUGUÊS

Prática: ação; execução;

exercício; capacidade

advinda da experiência;

hábito

Praticar: fazer; realizar;

exercitar-se; exercer (uma

profissão)

Source: Houaiss Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

DEUTSCH

Praktikum: estágio

Praktizieren: exercer a

medicina

Praxis: prática; consultório

médico; escritório de

advocacia

Praktisch: prática

Source: Langenscheidts Universal-Wörterbuch

Source: The Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus

ENGLISH

Practice:

a) habitual action or

performance;

b) a habit or custom;

c) a repeated exercise in

an activity requiring the

develpoment of skill

Praxis: accepted practice

or custom

Social theorists agree that there is no such thing as a coherent, unified

‘practice theory’, only a body of highly diverse writings by thinkers who adopt a

loosely defined ‘practice approach’. Theodor Schatzki (2001) distinguishes four main

types of practice theorists:

Philosophers (such as Wittgenstein; Dreyfus; Taylor);

Social theorists (Bourdieu; Giddens);

Cultural theorists (Foucault; Lyotard);

Theorists of science and technology (Latour; Rouse; Pickering).

It is also possible to distinguish two ‘waves’ or generations of practice theorists.

Whilst the first generation, led by some of the foremost theorists of the twentieth

century (e.g. Bourdieu 1977; de Certeau 1984; Foucault 1979; Giddens 1979, 1984)

laid the foundations of what we now regard as practice theory, the second

generation is currently testing those foundations and building new extensions to the

theoretical edifice (Ortner 1984; 2006, Schatzki 1996; Schatzki et al 2001; Reckwitz

2002; Warde 2005).

Source: http://johnpostill.com/2008/10/30/what-is-practice-theory/ (retrieved on 20th May, 2012)

Theory of Practice

Theory of Practice

Pierre Felix Burdieu (1930 – 2002);

French sociologist, anthropologist and

philosofer;

His work can be seen as sociology of

culture or, as he labelled it, a Theory of

Practice.

According to Alan Warde, “there is now a huge corpus

of work on consumption, but it still lacks theoretical

consolidation”.

His modest purpose consist of showing that application

of some rudimentary concepts and propositions derived

from a rather fragmentary body of theory provides new

insights into how consumption is organized and how it

might best be analysed.

Introduction

Dispersed

It appears in many

sectors of social life,

examples being

describing, following

rules, explaining and

imagining.

Integrative

They are the more

complex practices found

in and constitutive of

particular domains of

social life. Examples

include farming practices,

cooking practices and

business practices.

Types of Practices

Given their promise, it is strange that theories of

practice have scarcely been applied systematically to

the area of consumption.

Two prominent practice theorists (Giddens and Burdieu)

have made contributions, though neither seem

adequate.

Implications for the

Analysis of Consumption

As currently used the term ‘consumption’ is a syncretic concept,

displaying a chronic ambivalence between two contrasting senses,

of purchase and of using-up, both of which are equally inscribed in

everyday language and scholarly analysis.

I understand consumption as a process whereby agents engage in

appropriation and appreciation, wheter for utilitarian, expressive or

contemplative purposes, services, performances, information or

ambience, wheter purchased or not, over which the agent has some

degree of discretion.

In this view, consumption is not itself a practice but is, rather, a

moment in almost every practice.

Consumption and

Practices

The multiplication of enthusiasms and interests is one of

the marvels of our era;

This increase is attributable in part to the multiplication

and diversification of practices;

Explicit examination of the interconnections between

changes in practice and demand for commodities

reveals a tangled web of forces.

The Multiplicity of

Practices

Demand will often be generated indirectly, as when new tools or techniques

require complementary products for their effective adoption.

The Multiplicity of

Practices

Changes in practice

by individuals

It can be reflected into consumption

pratices and patterns

Fast Cars It begs for motorways

Hot Rods It begs for drag strips

Wish to drive off

normal roadsIt begs for sports utility vehicles

From the Theory of Practice standpoint, consumption

occurs within and for the sake of practice of individuals;

Consumed items are put on service according to

particular practices engaged by individuals and it also

evolves according to the multiplicity of social roles

played by the so called practioners (or consumers);

There is also an interconnection between an individual

consumption and his sense of internal well-being;

To Sum Up

Consumption is often a form of communication (but it cannot be

seen only on such terms);

Attention to practices also makes good sense of the existence of

both internal and extrinsic rewards from conduct. That is,

consumption may also reflects on oneself degree of self-esteem;

There are critics arguing that incremental increase in material

possessions may add almost nothing in terms of level of sense of

well-being or degree of happines;

Nevertheless, people keep on consuming and it does not seem that

they feel any sort of loss on well-being.

To Sum Up

Vielen Dank!

Luiz Valério de Paula Trindade | 16.06.2012