Studying Political Consumerism

The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism addresses the study of political consumerism. It discusses how production and consumption affect broader societal affairs at home and abroad, and how the phenomenon of political consumerism has developed in different directions—geographically, conceptually, and methodologically—and in multiple sectors, at multiple levels, and involving multiple disciplines. Its varieties create challenges for scholars to make sense of the phenomenon. Critical questions arise about its appropriate conceptual framing and methodologies. This introductory chapter defines and elaborates upon political consumerism and its four forms (boycotts, buycotts, discursive actions, and lifestyle endeavors). It offers an overview of the Handbook’s six thematic parts: political consumerism’s history, its theory and research design, its presence in major industry sectors, its global geographic spread and practice, its democratic paradoxes and challenges, and its problem-solving potential. This chapter also provides summaries and reviews of the Handbook’s thirty-nine chapters.