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Citizen-Consumers Wanted

Revitalizing the American Dream in the Face of Economic Recessions, 1981-2012

Bibliographic Data

ID2237667
AuthorsGokcen Coskuner-Balli (Argyros School of Business and Economics ( [email protected] ) is an associate professor of marketing, , Chapman University, One University Drive, Beckman Hall, Orange, CA 92866, corresponding author)
EditorsEileen Fischer (0000-0002-8212-0414), Lisa Leimar Price (0000-0002-1746-3066), Güliz Ger (0000-0002-7665-046X)
Year2020
Volume47
Issue3
Pages327-349
Publication date2020-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Consumer Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0093-5301 • E-ISSN: 1537-5277
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/jcr/ucz059
OpenAlexW3000354632
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited51

This article brings the sociological theory of governmentality to bear on a longitudinal analysis of American presidential speeches to theorize the formation of the citizen-consumer subject. This 40-year historical analysis-which extends through four economic recessions and the presidential terms of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama-illustrates the ways in which the national mythology of the American Dream has been linked to the political ideology of the state to create the citizen-consumer subject in the United States. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data demonstrates 1) the consistent emphasis on responsibility as a key moral value, albeit meshed with ideals of liberalism and libertarianism at different presidential periods; 2) that the presidents iteratively link the neoliberal political ideology and the national mythology of the American Dream through a sophisticated morality play myth, wherein they cast the citizen-consumer as a responsible moral hero on a journey to achieve the American Dream; and 3) that the presidents use three main dispositives-disciplinary, legal, and security-to craft the citizen-consumer subject in their response to economic recessions. These findings extend prior consumer research on consumer subjectivity, consumer moralism, marketplace mythology, and politics of consumption

Dream · Economics · Ideology · Morality · Political science · Politics · Presidential system · Recession · Sociology · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Law · Management and Organizational Studies · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics

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Unique citing works25
Citations per year4,17
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 24
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