Understanding middle class consumers from the justification of taste: a case study of Beijing
Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous d...
Ausführliche Beschreibung
Gespeichert in:
| Autor*in: |
Zhu, Di [verfasserIn] |
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| Format: |
E-Artikel |
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| Sprache: |
Englisch |
| Erschienen: |
2016 |
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| Schlagwörter: |
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| Anmerkung: |
© The Author(s). 2016 |
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| Übergeordnetes Werk: |
Enthalten in: The Journal of Chinese Sociology - Heidelberg : Springer, 2014, 3(2016), 1 vom: 29. Juni |
|---|---|
| Übergeordnetes Werk: |
volume:3 ; year:2016 ; number:1 ; day:29 ; month:06 |
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10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0 |
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SPR03791748X |
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| 520 | |a Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. Nevertheless, this orientation, combined with motives and orientations already present in China, can be seen to have taken effect from the way people justify their patterns of consumption in the course of interviews. | ||
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10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0 doi (DE-627)SPR03791748X (SPR)s40711-016-0035-0-e DE-627 ger DE-627 rakwb eng Zhu, Di verfasserin aut Understanding middle class consumers from the justification of taste: a case study of Beijing 2016 Text txt rdacontent Computermedien c rdamedia Online-Ressource cr rdacarrier © The Author(s). 2016 Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. Nevertheless, this orientation, combined with motives and orientations already present in China, can be seen to have taken effect from the way people justify their patterns of consumption in the course of interviews. Taste (dpeaa)DE-He213 Justification (dpeaa)DE-He213 China (dpeaa)DE-He213 Middle class (dpeaa)DE-He213 Consumption (dpeaa)DE-He213 Enthalten in The Journal of Chinese Sociology Heidelberg : Springer, 2014 3(2016), 1 vom: 29. Juni (DE-627)815914806 (DE-600)2806685-6 2198-2635 nnns volume:3 year:2016 number:1 day:29 month:06 https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0 kostenfrei Volltext GBV_USEFLAG_A SYSFLAG_A GBV_SPRINGER GBV_ILN_39 GBV_ILN_70 AR 3 2016 1 29 06 |
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10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0 doi (DE-627)SPR03791748X (SPR)s40711-016-0035-0-e DE-627 ger DE-627 rakwb eng Zhu, Di verfasserin aut Understanding middle class consumers from the justification of taste: a case study of Beijing 2016 Text txt rdacontent Computermedien c rdamedia Online-Ressource cr rdacarrier © The Author(s). 2016 Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. Nevertheless, this orientation, combined with motives and orientations already present in China, can be seen to have taken effect from the way people justify their patterns of consumption in the course of interviews. Taste (dpeaa)DE-He213 Justification (dpeaa)DE-He213 China (dpeaa)DE-He213 Middle class (dpeaa)DE-He213 Consumption (dpeaa)DE-He213 Enthalten in The Journal of Chinese Sociology Heidelberg : Springer, 2014 3(2016), 1 vom: 29. Juni (DE-627)815914806 (DE-600)2806685-6 2198-2635 nnns volume:3 year:2016 number:1 day:29 month:06 https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0 kostenfrei Volltext GBV_USEFLAG_A SYSFLAG_A GBV_SPRINGER GBV_ILN_39 GBV_ILN_70 AR 3 2016 1 29 06 |
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10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0 doi (DE-627)SPR03791748X (SPR)s40711-016-0035-0-e DE-627 ger DE-627 rakwb eng Zhu, Di verfasserin aut Understanding middle class consumers from the justification of taste: a case study of Beijing 2016 Text txt rdacontent Computermedien c rdamedia Online-Ressource cr rdacarrier © The Author(s). 2016 Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. Nevertheless, this orientation, combined with motives and orientations already present in China, can be seen to have taken effect from the way people justify their patterns of consumption in the course of interviews. Taste (dpeaa)DE-He213 Justification (dpeaa)DE-He213 China (dpeaa)DE-He213 Middle class (dpeaa)DE-He213 Consumption (dpeaa)DE-He213 Enthalten in The Journal of Chinese Sociology Heidelberg : Springer, 2014 3(2016), 1 vom: 29. Juni (DE-627)815914806 (DE-600)2806685-6 2198-2635 nnns volume:3 year:2016 number:1 day:29 month:06 https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0 kostenfrei Volltext GBV_USEFLAG_A SYSFLAG_A GBV_SPRINGER GBV_ILN_39 GBV_ILN_70 AR 3 2016 1 29 06 |
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Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. Nevertheless, this orientation, combined with motives and orientations already present in China, can be seen to have taken effect from the way people justify their patterns of consumption in the course of interviews. © The Author(s). 2016 |
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Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. Nevertheless, this orientation, combined with motives and orientations already present in China, can be seen to have taken effect from the way people justify their patterns of consumption in the course of interviews. © The Author(s). 2016 |
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Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. Nevertheless, this orientation, combined with motives and orientations already present in China, can be seen to have taken effect from the way people justify their patterns of consumption in the course of interviews. © The Author(s). 2016 |
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1803570971424063488 |
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><collection xmlns="http://www.loc.gov/MARC21/slim"><record><leader>01000caa a22002652 4500</leader><controlfield tag="001">SPR03791748X</controlfield><controlfield tag="003">DE-627</controlfield><controlfield tag="005">20230328182807.0</controlfield><controlfield tag="007">cr uuu---uuuuu</controlfield><controlfield tag="008">201007s2016 xx |||||o 00| ||eng c</controlfield><datafield tag="024" ind1="7" ind2=" "><subfield code="a">10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0</subfield><subfield code="2">doi</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="035" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">(DE-627)SPR03791748X</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="035" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">(SPR)s40711-016-0035-0-e</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="040" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">DE-627</subfield><subfield code="b">ger</subfield><subfield code="c">DE-627</subfield><subfield code="e">rakwb</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="041" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">eng</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="100" ind1="1" ind2=" "><subfield code="a">Zhu, Di</subfield><subfield code="e">verfasserin</subfield><subfield code="4">aut</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="245" ind1="1" ind2="0"><subfield code="a">Understanding middle class consumers from the justification of taste: a case study of Beijing</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="264" ind1=" " ind2="1"><subfield code="c">2016</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="336" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">Text</subfield><subfield code="b">txt</subfield><subfield code="2">rdacontent</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="337" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">Computermedien</subfield><subfield code="b">c</subfield><subfield code="2">rdamedia</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="338" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">Online-Ressource</subfield><subfield code="b">cr</subfield><subfield code="2">rdacarrier</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="500" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">© The Author(s). 2016</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="520" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">Abstract This paper focuses on the consumer orientation of the middle class in contemporary China, using the data from 30 interviews with middle class people conducted in Beijing. The existing literature tends to depict the Chinese middle class one-dimensionally as in pursuit of either conspicuous display or frugality and neglect the moral justifications consumers deploy, whereas this paper argues that peoples’ justifications for their tastes are key to understanding contemporary Chinese consumers. My analysis draws attention to both aesthetic and moral justifications of taste present in subjective accounts. It highlights consumers’ self-referential orientations: the pursuit of pleasure, tempered by considerations regarding comfort, is a major form of aesthetic justification. Living within one’s means, i.e. keeping a balance between expenditure and income, is the main moral justification of taste of the middle class. Consumers’ orientations draw on a new set of elements, conceptualised in this research as ‘the orientation toward personal pleasure and comfort’. Although having been common and widespread in most highly developed capitalist economies, these elements did not exist in Maoist China. 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Juni</subfield><subfield code="w">(DE-627)815914806</subfield><subfield code="w">(DE-600)2806685-6</subfield><subfield code="x">2198-2635</subfield><subfield code="7">nnns</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="773" ind1="1" ind2="8"><subfield code="g">volume:3</subfield><subfield code="g">year:2016</subfield><subfield code="g">number:1</subfield><subfield code="g">day:29</subfield><subfield code="g">month:06</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="856" ind1="4" ind2="0"><subfield code="u">https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40711-016-0035-0</subfield><subfield code="z">kostenfrei</subfield><subfield code="3">Volltext</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">GBV_USEFLAG_A</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">SYSFLAG_A</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">GBV_SPRINGER</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">GBV_ILN_39</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="912" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">GBV_ILN_70</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="951" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="a">AR</subfield></datafield><datafield tag="952" ind1=" " ind2=" "><subfield code="d">3</subfield><subfield code="j">2016</subfield><subfield code="e">1</subfield><subfield code="b">29</subfield><subfield code="c">06</subfield></datafield></record></collection>
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