Political Consumerism in Southern Europe

What is it about?

This chapter explores the history and presences of political consumerism (use of market for political purposes) in Southern European countries (Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece), and identifies various ethical and political uses of the market. Particularly, it traces the differences between Northern and Southern European countries (without regarding them as binary opposites) in terms of their different institutional and cultural approaches to the market for alternative practices. Particularly since the crisis, there has been a growth of alternative market practices in Southern Europe based on new forms of collectivism and cooperativism, which this chapter charts comparatively, while it also reflects on the the methodological challenges in this area of study.

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Why is it important?

This is important in terms of understanding political consumerism beyond quantitative approaches, where Southern European countries are often at the bottom of the list of activity in this field (see European Social Survey) and trying to understand the changing context since the financial crisis of 2008 and austerity.