Discursive Political Consumerism for the Environment: Brandalism, Culture Jamming and the Logic of Appropriation

This paper explores discursive political consumerism in the context of the evolution of consumer activism and analyses the anti-advertisement campaign by Brandalism (http://www.brandalism.org.uk) during December 2015 during the the Paris climate talks (COP21). Specifically, it explores how political consumerism intersects with environmental activism, as well as the narratives of environmentalism through culture jamming. Theories on sustainable consumption (Seyfang, 2008) and the new politics of consumption (Schor, 1999, 2010) forge a link between consumption and the environment. Since the late 1980s, eco-labelling has been part of the mainstream marketplace and carried by numerous durable, recycled, or renewable energy products. The mainstreaming of ethical consumption raises questions about its market appropriation (Lekakis, 2013). Goldman and Papson (1996) discuss the logic of appropriation in the context of advertising, which can lead to concerns about greenwashing. Similarly, political consumerism analyses the transference of political values and acts in the realm of the market (Stolle and Micheletti, 2015). Beyond buycotts for ecologically sustainable consumption, it also includes the study of boycotts and discursive political consumerism. The latter, also known as culture jamming, aims to expose commodity fetishism or unethical corporate practice (Lasn, 2000). Through purposive sample of anti-advertisements during COP21, I explore how forms of discursive political consumerism lend themselves to resist and reuse the logic of appropriation, as well as narratives around environmental action. References Goldman, R. and Papson, S. (2000) ‘Advertising in the Age of Accelerated Meaning,’ in The Consumer Society Reader Lasn, K. (2000) Culture Jam Lekakis, E. (2013) Coffee Activism and the Politics of Fair Trade and Ethical Consumption in the Global North Seyfang, G. (2008) The New Economics of Sustainable Consumption Schor, J. B. (2000) ‘Towards a New Politics of Consumption,’ in The Consumer Society Reader Schor, J. B. (2010) Plentitude Stolle, D. and Micheletti, M. (2015) Political Consumerism