Cultures of unruly bricolage : 'debadging' and the cultural logic of resistance

Brownlie, Douglas and Hewer, Paul (2009) Cultures of unruly bricolage : 'debadging' and the cultural logic of resistance. Advances in Consumer Research, 36. pp. 686-687. ISSN 0098-9258 (http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/v36/NAACR_vol36_...)

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Abstract

Arnould and Thompson note that the "marketplace has become a pre-eminent source of mythic and symbolic resources through which [people] construct narratives of identity' (2005: 871). Not only do consumers "actively rework and transform symbolic meanings" (ibid: 871), but in everyday practices they use "marketplace cultures [to] define their symbolic boundaries through an ongoing opposition to dominant lifestyle norms and mainstream consumer sensibilities" (ibid: 874). The paper examines identity work done with cherished possessions, in this case cars. By means of a netnography we focus on everyday practices where consumers rework brand identity towards their local identity projects.