Seduced And Repressed Analysis
Discuss the role of the concepts of the seduced and the repressed for understanding the place of consumption in contemporary consumer society.
Baumann's theory of the seduced and repressed depicts modern society as one where consumption dominates people's material existence and helps to understand the division between the included (seduced) and excluded (repressed).
In this essay I will discuss this concept of seduction and repression and highlight some of its strengths as well as some of its shortcomings by drawing on the theories and statements of other social scientists and by looking at the historical emergence of the consumer society.
Until the latter part of the twentieth century societies in industrialised Europe were referred to as "industrial societies" in which people's identities were defined by the social norms of their class or their …show more content…
Most notable the ban of cigarette advertising is a perfect example of the market having to yield to the seemingly non-seduced.
But are they non-seduced?
As Bauman tells us, consumers are simultaneously both free and seduced - seduced not entirely by the commodity itself but also by the associations conveyed and are free to choose which life-style to follow. In this light, the earlier described groups of the oppositional, enlightened, sceptical and aware can all be classified as seduced, even though their seduction does not necessarily aid the capital growth of the market.
To summarise, with the concept of the seduced and repressed Bauman provides a clear cut, if simplified, schematic of the included and excluded members of a modern consumer society and paints a contrasting picture of their identities. The clarity resulting from this simplification makes it easier to get an understanding of the underlying complexities of the modern consumer society.
Word Count: 1266
Baumann's theory of the seduced and repressed depicts modern society as one where consumption dominates people's material existence and helps to understand the division between the included (seduced) and excluded (repressed).
In this essay I will discuss this concept of seduction and repression and highlight some of its strengths as well as some of its shortcomings by drawing on the theories and statements of other social scientists and by looking at the historical emergence of the consumer society.
Until the latter part of the twentieth century societies in industrialised Europe were referred to as "industrial societies" in which people's identities were defined by the social norms of their class or their …show more content…
Most notable the ban of cigarette advertising is a perfect example of the market having to yield to the seemingly non-seduced.
But are they non-seduced?
As Bauman tells us, consumers are simultaneously both free and seduced - seduced not entirely by the commodity itself but also by the associations conveyed and are free to choose which life-style to follow. In this light, the earlier described groups of the oppositional, enlightened, sceptical and aware can all be classified as seduced, even though their seduction does not necessarily aid the capital growth of the market.
To summarise, with the concept of the seduced and repressed Bauman provides a clear cut, if simplified, schematic of the included and excluded members of a modern consumer society and paints a contrasting picture of their identities. The clarity resulting from this simplification makes it easier to get an understanding of the underlying complexities of the modern consumer society.
Word Count: 1266