Consumption, consumers, and Consumerism: Politics of Representations and Practices of Governance in Times of Crisis

This collective issue attempts to designate the politics of representation of the consumer and the politics of signification of consumption and consumerism, during the crisis period – politics that are articulated into the discourses of different institutions. The study and discussion on these different discourses enable us to understand the, still to be formed, ‘order of discourse’ on consumption and consumerism. This ‘order of discourse’ is taking shape, as the antagonism among different politics of representation and signification is still being carried on. The contribution of this issue pertains to the designation of different discursive framings that attempt to form these categories through which we perceive, understand, and evaluate both consumption, consumption practices and, in general, our relationship with ourselves and with others, with objects, space, time as well as with the social and natural world.