CALL FOR PAPERS

1st International Conference on 'Consumption and Representation'

Plymouth, UK, 2nd - 4th September, 1998

"Consuming Markets; Consuming Meanings"

APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the 1st international and multi-disciplinary conference on
'Consumption and Representation' the theme of which is, 'Consuming
Markets; Consuming Meanings'. The recent proliferation of publications
on the significance of consumption and the globalisation of consumer
culture has not necessarily been accompanied by an emphasis on the
active ways in which people actually invest meanings in both what they
consume and representations of what they consume. Indeed, there
appears to be a divide in the literature between work that focuses on
cultural and theoretical aspects of consumer culture and that which is
more concerned with the spatial and economic construction of consumer
markets such as fashion, the media and tourism. These are problems
that this conference will address in an international, cross-cultural
and multi-disciplinary context, as an active dynamic process. The
conference theme reflects the on-going work of the research group in
'Consumption and Representation' based in the Sociology Department at
the University of Plymouth.

The relationship between production and consumption represents a key
focus for social scientific enquiry and yet the potential for
cross-disciplinary collaboration in this field remains largely
unexplored territory. This conference is therefore intended to foster
links between researchers in consumption from a variety of backgrounds
with the intention being to identify common ground for the study of
markets as a meaningful arena for social scientific research in an
ever-changing world. To this end, future developments in 'consumer
research' in its broadest sense will be discussed.  The conference
will be divided into three complimentary streams:

IDENTIFICATION
Many authors have debated the increasingly important role played by
consumption in the construction of identities in a so-called
'postmodern' world, but such discussions have tended to be highly
speculative in nature. This stream is concerned with relating the
practical everyday contexts within which people relate to consumption
and how consumers' identities are constructed in the marketplace.

REPRESENTATION
This stream focuses upon the relationship between mass media and
consumer culture and considers the extent to which the media reflect
or shape consumer meanings. Possible contributions might include
papers on representations of environmental issues, advertising,
consumption and the media, and the representation of consumption in a
'risk society.'

SEGMENTATION
Although apparently concerned with freedom of choice, market
segmentation may, in fact, involve a degree of rationalisation and
control over market formation. Possible contributions to this stream
might include papers dealing with the impact of segmentation on the
lifestyles of individual consumers or households, or issues concerning
ownership and control over the construction of market niches.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We invite offers of papers from sociologists, anthropologists,
geographers, marketers, historians, political scientists, and consumer
researchers from any disciplinary background which address the above
issues. The aim is to provide a forum for established researchers,
academics and practitioners, as well as those new to the field, to
present and discuss their ideas, whilst constructing the beginnings of
a research agenda for the study of consumption in the twenty-first
century. Papers which attempt to marry theoretical insights with
practical everyday contexts are especially welcome. Abstracts for
papers which do not directly address the above themes will be
considered.

As a reflection of the cross-disciplinary nature of the conference and
the organisers intention to promote a collaborative research-oriented
environment the confirmed keynote speakers are:

Gordon Foxall, Professor of Consumer Behaviour, University of Keele;
Alan Warde, Professor of Sociology, University of Lancaster.

Those interested in offering papers should contact the conference
convenor with a brief abstract of up to 250 - 300 words which should
be sent to the address below no later than 17th May, 1999.

The Organising Committee,
1st International Conference on Consumption and Representation,
Department of Sociology,
University of Plymouth,
Drake Circus,
Plymouth,
Devon,
PL4 8AA.

Enquiries can also be e-mailed to Alison Anderson, Kevin Meethan, and
Steve Miles at one of the following e-mail addresses:
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If you would like to attend the conference but do not intend to
present a paper please write to the above address and we will add you
to our booking form mailing list.



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