Description
Subjectivity, the Unconscious and Consumerism is a unique and imaginative psycho-sociological exploration of how postmodern, contemporary consumerism invades and colonises human subjectivity. Investigating especially consumerism’s unconscious aspects such as desires, imagination, and fantasy, it engages with an extensive analysis of dreams. The author frames these using a synthesis of Jungian psychology and the social imaginaries of Baudrillard and Bauman, in a dialogue with the theories of McDonaldization and Disneyization. The aim is to broaden our understanding of consumerism to include the perennial consumption of symbols and signs of identity - a process which is the basis for the fabrication of the commodified self. The book offers a profound, innovative critique of our consumption societies, challenging readers to rethink how we live, and how our identities are impacted by consumerism. As such it will be of interest to students and scholars of critical psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, but is also accessible to anyone interested in the complex psychology of contemporary subjectivity.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction.- PART I. Theoretical framework.- 2. Symbolic imaginaries and the subject.- 3. Symbolic imaginaries: The world of dreams.- 4. The ImCon as a semiotic imaginary: Consumption dreams and the subject as consumer.- 5. The ImCon as simulacrum of symbolic imaginary: Dream-worlds of consumption and the subject as commodity.- 6. Dreamscapes: The dream-worlds of shopping malls, McDonald's, and Disneyland.- PART II. Empirical study.- 7. Method.- 8. Interpretation and discussion.- 9. All that is sacred (and symbolic) is commodified: The McChurch™ Dreams.- 10. Disneyized dreams: Imaginary models of simulation.- 11. Dreaming in the temples of consumption: Shopping malls and department stores dreams.- 12. Conclusions.
