Consumerism and Consumption

Question 1

Who observed the emergence of a new type of social organisation in France?

Answer 1

Henri Lefebvre (1971) ‘Bureaucratic Society of Controlled Consumption’

Question 2

Features of the Bureaucratic Society of Controlled Consumption?

Answer 2

1. Modification of capitalism from production to meet needs to production for consumption (waste, luxury, to impress etc)
2. Organisation of capital has moved from a focus on production to a focus on consumption (both its creation and maintenance)

Question 3

What was Thorstein Veblen’s Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)?

Answer 3

Visibly displaying status through what has been acquired.