Consumer Culture

March 5th, 2010 • Nezařazené • Comments Off

Consumer Culture: between aesthetics, social distinction and ecological activism

October 7-9, 2010

Art Centre of Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic the theory of consumer culture has not been discussed adequately and systematically on the academic level. Consumer culture has been researched mainly in the commercial sector which has focused on problems related to the successful sale of products or services. The aim of this international conference is to examine and outline the main problems and topics concerning the complex and controversial phenomenon of consumer culture. The thematic framework of the conference will include not only inquiry into the symbolic dimension of consumer culture, its aesthetic aspects and its impact on individual lifestyles, but also the broader social context of production and reception of consumer culture and its social, economic and environmental consequences.

The conference will be an open meeting of Europe’s leading experts with diverse disciplinary background (sociology, philosophy, psychology, cultural anthropology, ecology, economics, cultural studies, media studies, art history, aesthetics, communication studies, etc.) and representatives from the business world who are involved in production, innovation or research of consumer culture, as well as students and others who are interested in these issues and want to share their thoughts and insights. The conference intends to initiate a dialogue and to facilitate the transfer of current knowledge between the academic (social sciences and humanities) and the application sphere. The additional intention of the conference is to support the concept of science as an open critical discourse, as well as the creation of a counterbalance to the so called shadow science (i.e. the privatization of knowledge of consumer culture and society within the commercial sector).

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Conference program
Call for abstracts
Registration form
Conference abstracts

News

3/1/2011
Conference photos are now available online, see the section Photos.

17/10/2010
Conference organizers would like to thank all participants for their valuable contribution to the Consumer Culture Conference.

Paper submission deadline: December 31th, 2010. For more information, see the section Proceedings.

1/10/2010
Unfortunately, Roberta Sassatelli will not be able to participate at the conference. She will, however, keep participating in the project and contribute to the conference proceedings.

27/8/2010
Registration deadline for non-academic participants is extended until September 15th. Registration fee is payable in CZK or EUR.

26/8/2010
Rainer Gries - one of the conference invited speakers - newly published the book Ernest Dichter and Motivation Research: New Perspectives on the Making of Post-war Consumer Culture. This book argues that 1950s motivation research gives a unique vantage point from which to address questions of the transatlantic transfer of the cultures and institutions of consumption and marketing.

3/6/2010
Interview with Rainer Gries from University of Vienna on product communication in Olomouc (15 April 2010): Rainer Gries in Olomouc.

26/5/2010
The organizers of the conference have launched a creative Consumer Competition for university students from the Czech Republic.

6/5/2010
Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic has taken a patronage over the whole conference. The event is part of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010.

2/5/2010
Søren Askegaard, professor of marketing at University of Southern Denmark, accepted our invitation as keynote speaker. His research interests lie in the field of consumer behaviour analysis from a cultural perspective, including such topics as life styles, consumer motivations, food culture, product imagery, branding, and globalization.

31/3/2010
Kate Soper (London Metropolitan University) accepted our invitation as keynote speaker.