The sacred and the profane in consumer behavior: theodicy on the odyssey

Article Abstract:

Two processes at work in contemporary society are the secularization of religion and the sacralization of the secular. Consumer behavior shapes and reflects these processes. For many, consumption has become a vehicle for experiencing the sacred. This article explores the ritual substratum of consumption and describes properties and manifestations of the sacred inherent in consumer behavior. Similarly, the processes by which consumers sacralize and desacralize dimensions of their experience are described. The naturalistic inquiry approach driving the insights in this article is advanced as a corrective to a premature narrowing of focus in consumer research. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Religion, Sociology of religion, Secularization, Religion and culture

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Heaven on Earth: consumption at Heritage Village, USA

Article Abstract:

Heritage Village, home of the PTL ministry, is the focus of a study of consumer behavior involving an explicit synthesis of worship and shopping. The present investigation seeks to better understand the way these pursuits, seemingly philosophically opposed, are brought together for joint consumption. Notions of pilgrimage and sacralization of the secular are useful constructs in examining this merger of religion and consumption, but a priori formulations must be modified to more fully explain the behavior of consumers at Heritage Village. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Economic aspects, Heritage USA, PTL Club

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A sociocultural analysis of a midwestern American flea market

Article Abstract:

The ethnographic case study presented in this article illustrates the institutional complexity and sociocultural significance of a midwestern American flea market. A conception of marketplace structure and function that incorporates informal and festive dimensions of consumer behavior is advanced. The article explores the relationship of primary and secondary economic activity. Buyer and seller behavior, marketplace ambience, the social embeddedness of consumption, and experiential aspects of consumption are considered at length. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Consumption (Economics), Flea markets

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