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Psychedelics have a complex history marked by traditional use among indigenous cultures, early scientific interest, and subsequent prohibition. Despite their classification as controlled substances, recent decades have witnessed a resurgence of research into their therapeutic potential for various mental health conditions. However, most studies have focused on controlled clinical settings, leaving a significant gap in understanding how these substances are used in naturalistic contexts, particularly in Latin America. This study investigates the regular use of macrodoses of psychedelics among Latin American adults. We aimed to characterize the sociodemographic profiles, consumption practices, and subjective effects experienced by individuals who use psychedelics regularly. Data were collected via an online survey from 4,270 participants across several Latin American countries. Results indicated a diverse user base with varied motivations, predominantly psychological and spiritual well-being. The most frequently used substance was psilocybin mushrooms, with significant associations found between demographic variables and specific psychedelics used. The study provides new insights into the naturalistic use of psychedelics in Latin America, highlighting the need for informed, safe, and legal use frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Psychedelics have a complex history marked by traditional use among indigenous cultures, early scientific interest, and subsequent prohibition. Despite their classification as controlled substances, recent decades have witnessed a resurgence of research into their therapeutic potential for various mental health conditions. However, most studies have focused on controlled clinical settings, leaving a significant gap in understanding how these substances are used in naturalistic contexts, particularly in Latin America. This study investigates the regular use of macrodoses of psychedelics among Latin American adults. We aimed to characterize the sociodemographic profiles, consumption practices, and subjective effects experienced by individuals who use psychedelics regularly. Data were collected via an online survey from 4,270 participants across several Latin American countries. Results indicated a diverse user base with varied motivations, predominantly psychological and spiritual well-being. The most frequently used substance was psilocybin mushrooms, with significant associations found between demographic variables and specific psychedelics used. The study provides new insights into the naturalistic use of psychedelics in Latin America, highlighting the need for informed, safe, and legal use frameworks.

Objective: Colombia has had a tobacco control legislation since 2009, however there is no specific regulation on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). Therefore, it is crucial to characterize the qualitative dimensions of consumption. The study aimed to answer the question: What are the representations and practices of the university population regarding the consumption of SEAN? The objective of the study is to identify the practices and representations of ENDS consumers in order to obtain elements to guide the necessary actions to prevent their consumption. Methods: This paper presents the results identified in the qualitative component of a main study on the prevalence of ENDS use among university students. 14 individual interviews and 1 focus group were conducted and analyzed with the NVivo10® software. The corpus consisted of the transcripts of the 14 interviews and 1 focus group, which constitutes a total of 116 pages of raw data. The techniques used were semi-structured interviews and focus groups, using the Microsoft Teams platform. Taking into account ethical aspects, in each interview and in the focus group the informed consent was read and authorization was requested for the interview to be recorded. The average duration of each interview was one hour and forty-five minutes and the focus group lasted a total of 120 minutes. The capture of practices and representation related to the use/non-use of SEAN was achieved by incorporating two phases of analysis: a)Inductive phase: it was developed with an ordered matrix on the theoretical categories of the project, b)Phase of deductive analysis was carried out based on processes typical of the founded theory that allowed expanding the analytical framework having as its axis the identification of consumption practices and the elements that make up the central core and the peripheral system of representation. Results: The main results are the identification of consumption practices, from which it was derived that the central nucleus of the social representation of SEAN is non-autonomous, which enables a change that discourages its consumption. The reasons and practices for consuming ENDS are closely related to conventional cigarette consumption, which corresponds to the fact that 11 of the 14 interviewees who identify themselves as consumers have consumed conventional cigarettes and only two have been exclusive ENDS consumers. The following practices were identified: a) The consumption motivations were grouped like social, economic and socio-emotional; b) Three types of consumption spaces: prohibited, exclusive and recovered spaces. These last ones are places where you couldn't smoke cigarettes and now they feel empowered to vape; c) There are forms of differential consumption and access to ENDS related to the quality, price, exclusivity and adherence; d) Habits and rituals are not related to moments of daily life, as with cigarettes, but to practices such as searching for and mixing "salts" to obtain flavors, cleaning and maintaining the device, smoking tricks; e) About information channels among the interviewees it was noted that the practice of informed consumption is not frequent and that there are few sources of information that offer low confidence. Finally, the peripheral system of representation is made up of three elements: social dimension, the consumption of SEAN as a lifestyle, bodied and emotional dimension. Conclusion: It is concluded that the actions to prevent the consumption of ENDS should start from the identification of particular and exclusive characteristics of the consumption of ENDS and the incorporation of the elements of the peripheral system that allow addressing a consumption not based on making informed decisions. The main finding is the identification of a non-autonomous representation that stems from the difficulty of establishing notable differentiations between conventional cigarette consumption and e-cigarettes. Therefore, the main vein of research that opens up is to delve into the particular and exclusive characteristics of this consumption. It is essential to incorporate bodily, emotional, and especially social (interpersonal) dimensions as important variables in understanding the practices and representations of e-cigarettes through complex approaches that can break the solid elements on which conventional cigarette consumption is anchored, as it continues to define dynamics of electronic device consumption. It is important at this point to recognize that emotions can be understood as the intermediary between the lived experience in the body and everything that happens in the environment. Thus, it is not possible to think of this representation without recognizing that consumption is an embodied exercise, and the absence of the body in discourses about e-cigarettes can be a revealing element of a disconnection between practices and meanings that are reinforced in the insistence on an action (smoking is smoking) despite the recognition of its negative effects on health (even though it should not be). The understanding of the social representation of e-cigarette consumption in relation to specific practices related to it provides some clues on which to work on processes of information, communication, prevention, and regulation to discourage this consumption that appears relatively new. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, nuts have gained importance because of their nutritional benefits in promoting health and preventing chronic diseases. Despite their recognized role as part of healthy dietary patterns, global consumption is below recommended levels, necessitating an investigation of factors influencing consumption and the impact of nutrition education.ObjectiveTo investigate the attitudes, knowledge and consumption habits of students in Serbia regarding the consumption of nuts and to examine the role and importance of food- or nutrition-related topics in academic curricula in promoting positive attitudes and habits regarding the consumption of nuts among pharmacy students.MethodsAn electronic questionnaire was used to collect data for this cross-sectional study. A total of 509 responses were collected, including 382 from pharmacy students (75.0%) and 127 from non-pharmacy students (25.0%).ResultsAttitudes toward eating nuts were generally positive, with statistically significant differences found between pharmacy students and non-pharmacy students for 10 statements. The knowledge levels differed, with the mean total number of correct answers in the total sample being 3.9 ± 2.5 (R: 0-11, Mdn: 4) out of 13, and there was a statistically significant difference (p

Copyright of Journal of Sociological Context / Sosyolojik Bağlam Dergisi is the property of Journal of Sociological Context and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in physical distancing regulations, disrupting traditional practices of establishing and maintaining social relationships. We draw attention to digital nomadism as a mature case of navigating sociality in uncertainty to investigate how the linking value of materiality establishes social proximity without geographic contiguity through physical, virtual, and imagined practices. Using Miller's (1987) theory of materiality and triangulating data collected from in-depth interviews and netnography, this study details the material constitution of co-presence with others in physical distance. We propose that consumers oscillate between work—instrumental practices of signaling and curating—and play—emotional practices of belonging and indulging—to experience social linking across different spatial and temporal frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have expanded beyond the cryptoart movement into the digital realm, promising a multibillion-dollar virtual ecosystem. However, marketing studies that attempt to explain this phenomenon remain nascent and even scarce. To fill this void, our research responds to a call for explicit usage of marketing theories to explain the universe of actions and the unacknowledged conditions that constitute people's behaviors when purchasing NFTs. More precisely, this research applies Holt's typology of consumption practices and provides useful insights based on empirical findings into the different ways in which NFT customers consume digital data. Moreover, we propose a research agenda to drive discussions regarding the consumption practices of and potential markets for NFTs. Our contribution extends the usage of information technology and addresses anyone working in marketing science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advertisements for commodities offer a unique keyhole into the shifting consumption practices and media constructions of the youthful consumer. An analysis of five student and youth magazines foregrounds the gendered and materialistic idealisations of leisure invoked to promote branded goods in the Indian youth market. Analysing advertisements in these magazines allows us to trace the increasingly sophisticated way in which capitalist actors stratified the domain of advertising by life stages during the late colonial and early post-colonial periods in India. This finding runs contrary to the grain of historiography that contends that the Indian 'market' failed to respond to the interests of consumers prior to the media liberalisation of the 1980s and 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the topic of sustainable development is steadily growing, responsible business models show stability in modern conditions of socio-economic turbulence. The aim is to demonstrate by the example of the chosen company the concept of ethical consumption influence effects on organization management and business development in the aging economy. Methods: the case study method to generalize consumption practices based on ethics and development of organization management model, benchmarking of organization management practices based on the concept of ethical consumption for the Tomsk market. The authors complied a comparative characteristic for the parameters of the Tomsk food market organizations operating on the basis of the ethical consumption concept; developed a model of the concept of ethical consumption for SibirEko LLC and proposed recommendations for adjusting the corporate strategy. Conclusions. The practice of applying the ethical consumption concept is in development in the Russian market, in general, and Tomsk, in particular. The authors proposed a three-pronged development model based on the case of the Tomsk organization and developed measures to improve business management taking into account the aging of the population and the development of new markets and business areas. The authors concluded that food producers in Tomsk focused on further access to export markets, but not on the development of the domestic «silver market».

The temporal distance, difference of media, and diverse motivations would seem to preclude a convincing application of Dante's work in a contemporary street artist's experiments, but CIBO, who began painting over neofascist graffiti with his urban murals of traditional Italian foods after a far-right wing group killed his university classmate, confirms that his recent work engaging Dante has been met with huge enthusiasm. This essay will trace the means by which Dante continues to speak to a twenty-first century audience, particularly those focused on activism and civic duty, through a gastronomic language that transcends chronological and geographic limitations, but also delineates the boundaries of an inclusive and self-aware community that can continue to find strength in gestures of nourishment, understanding conviviality as a true living together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neo-liberal economy politics and the uprising of new high-spender conservative elites escalate radical urban transformations in Istanbul. Urban spaces that rapidly segregate from each other witness the symbolic conflicts of social groups that own cultural, economic and spatial capital. This study focuses on how a specific café chain in Istanbul is consumed as a privileged public space by its secular elite regulars and how they manifest their distinction, prestige, identity and belonging in the café. Accordingly, the eating and drinking experience in the café has been observed through a field study at this café's seven branches in Istanbul. This study argues that the current symbolic conflict triggered by uncomfortable spatial proximity and balancing out discrepancies between Istanbul's conservative and secular elites could be interpreted within this particular social space of belonging and exclusion. We put forward that secular elites' consumption practices with the exertion of a spatial capital formed a privileged social space representing territorial exclusionary claims on certain micro-places in İstanbul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relevance. The work draws attention to the problems of the formation of consumption practices in old age as a fast-growing market segment (the growth rate according to the World Bank is 3 % per year). The aim is to identify trends in consumer behavior in conditions of social restrictions and to determine the availability of new digital social services for the elderly. Methods. The data from sociological surveys conducted in November 2020 (N=60) and in March–April 2021 (N=400, 55+) in the Tomsk region are used as an empirical base. As a result, we established that low consumption capacity affects the formation of consumption practices. The institutional gap has been revealed between high needs for social services and low demand for created social services. Conclusions. Consumption practices in older age are heterogeneous, a significant impact is exerted by a shortage of financial resources and values of helping the inner circle, strategies for saving on the most necessary are formed. The subjective assessment of respondents of social support institutions is extremely low. It is revealed that only in the field of social assistance new practices of remote interaction are being formed on the basis of digitalization of social services. The practice of remote treatment for material or medical care has not been identified. Trust in the institution of state support is extremely low, new digital services do not have a significant impact on maintaining the level and quality of life in conditions of social restrictions of the older age group.

Although consumers' temporal experiences in the performance of single practices of extraordinary nature have been well understood, there is not yet a clear understanding of how temporal experiences unfold from the recurrent performance of complexes of practices. Conversely, we delve into how the recurrent performance of quotidian complexes of practices affects consumers' temporal experiences. To do so, we adopt a Rhythmanalysis lens to study the recurrent performance of runners and swimmers. We contribute to the literature by proposing that global rhythms are enduring and encompassing temporal experiences unfolding from the recurrent performance of complexes of practices through a process involving the orchestration of complexes of practices, the embodied effects of its routinization, the integration of consumption habits, and social involvement with communities of practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research identifies the relationship between consumption practices and the construction of social identity among tweens in a Brazilian context. Using consumer culture theory and social identity theory, we employed 80 h of observation, 9 interviews, and projective techniques with fifteen girls. Three social identity groups were acknowledged: naive, connected, and counselors. These groups revealed different identity projects, such as the integration and maintenance within the social group of current belonging, the access to the social group with the greater distinctions, the generation of differentiable and positive distinctions (both intra- and intergroups), and the expression and consolidation of identity and its respective consumption practices. This research contributes to the consumption literature that relates to consumer identity projects. The findings reveal a current resignification of girlhood and exposes tweens' consumption practices as a direct mechanism of the expression and construction of their social identities. These are mechanisms of social identity construction as mediated by group relations through the processes of access, maintenance, integration, differentiation, and distinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research draws on protection motivation theory, temporal construal theory, and self‐determination theory to understand consumption practices during a pandemic crisis by looking at the narratives of British consumers during the COVID‐19 crisis. A two‐stage design is adopted: the first stage adopts an exploratory strategy to identify consumption‐related themes using netnography, while the second stage explores these themes further to gain a deeper insight through 13 semi‐structured interviews. Three themes emerge relating to different aspects of consumption practices. These themes are found to link to the self‐control research area and include consumers' self‐control changing their shopping behaviour, having less self‐control over unhealthy snack consumption and having less self‐control concerning alcohol. These lead to changes in other consumption practices, including store format and type of shopping. Different initiatives are discussed to help retailers retain their new lockdown customers to help manufacturers provide healthier options and to help weight management businesses and the National Health Service reduce unhealthy consumption habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Neapolitan neighbourhood of Vomero, whose most recent transformations can be effectively read through the lenses of retail and consumption geography. In greater detail, the evolution of the neighbourhood will be briefly outlined through a long-lasting look on its retail change, from its urbanization to the current configuration of a fabric modified by new consumption practices, in turn generated by the different demands of (old and new) inhabitants and users. The fieldwork research, which took place on a selected core-area and was articulated into various moments – site visits, with the emotions and perceptions they aroused; mapping, to reconstruct the spatial organisation of retail and entertainment activities; in-depth interviews with privileged witnesses; analysis of local commercial policies – will allow to exemplify how the neighbourhood escapes the simplicity of some urban thesis on local-global dialectic. Even in a micro-space which has been the symbol of innovation and separation from the rest of Naples, the commercial core is disputed among various actors. At the scale of the polarizing nodes of the neighbourhood, the retail changes and the consumption practices – although not induced by top-down project or branding policies – highlight new tensions between forms of innovation and of embeddedness.

Although consumer researchers have explored the social, cultural and consumption-related tensions involved in being and becoming masculine, prior research has tended to focus on individual men’s experiences. This paper reviews literature in this area together with theories of gender as performed, performative and social practice. Our ethnographic study of male friendship groups in central Scotland explores the gender processes involved in improvising their masculine consumer identities within and across various social settings and interactions. In particular, through consumption-related banter, theyplayed forandplayed withtheir ideas of masculinity, thereby engaging in the practising of gender. The boundaries between ‘safe’ and ‘danger’ zones of consumption varied across social groups and contexts, highlighting the complexity and contingency of contemporary masculinities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction. The practice of library space consumption is very important to be elaborated by using cultural and media perspective, becaus it elaborates on the problem of why digital native users interpret of space. This article is part of a dissertation research, which describes social practices and space representation by digital native users at UGM library. Data Collection Method. It is a qualitative research with participant observation, interviews, and supporting documentation, involving six informants selected purposively. Analysis Data. Ethnographic approach is carried out by paying attention to the meaning of the actions of the events that occur in digital native users. Results & Discussions. The results showed that UGM library space was used as productive and non-productive space. As productive space means that digital native users leveraged teh space for learning or other activities related to their study. Meanwhile, non-productive space refers to space to spend their leisure activities. The result showed that digital native users in leveraging the space did not correspond to the initial function of the space. There was inconsistency with the representations of space that was originally designed by the UGM library. Digital natives had their own way of leveraging the library space. Conclusion. There are other motivation how digital native users leveraging the library space. In representational space, digital native users have their own interests. Further research should discuss more specifically in revealing reasons of space use from another theories or perspectives.

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Copyright of Zephyrus is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A group of mothers who lost their children in the Kiss Nightclub Tragedy came together to ask for justice and memory. As a form of resistance, they hold permanent vigil in downtown Santa Maria / RS and consume Facebook as a communication device with society. The purpose of this article is to analyze Kiss Mothers’ consumption practices of Facebook to face the attempts to silence their voices, naturalize injustices and forget about the tragedy. This work is supported by the theories of sociocultural consumption of digital platforms (MILLER et al, 2016; CAMPANELLA; BARROS, 2016; CASTRO, 2014, DOUGLAS; ISHERWOOD, 2004). An ethnographic for the internet is adopted (HINE, 2015, 2016), through which we seek a reflection based on the publications and the perception of these practices by the mothers themselves. Among the conclusions, it is pointed out that Facebook is consumed in order to create and legitimize their presence in physical and virtual public spaces and an effort to strengthen the group’s struggle for memory in the name of justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present some results of a research project about Fair Trade (FT) consumers in Portugal. One analyses consumers’ practices and the reasons that lead to purchase products from this new social and economic movement. The analysis of the data reveals that the reasons that lead consumers to FT are plural: the consumption of FT products can express individual preferences that concern not only to the taste, quality or exoticism of these goods, but also to the consumers’ moral values.

Abstract While ancient Near Eastern cuneiform texts and iconography unambiguously demonstrate the social, economic, and ritual significance of beer, direct archaeological evidence for beer production or consumption remains surprisingly rare. This scarcity of material evidence renders it difficult to extrapolate information about the ingredients and production processes of beer, on the one hand, and the paraphernalia and social contexts of its consumption, on the other. In recent decades, organic residue analysis has become an essential tool in the identification of ancient alcoholic beverages, but research on Near Eastern beer has focused largely on production and storage vessels, whose form, archaeological context, and associated macroscopic residues already indicated their use in beer production. In this paper, we present a novel field sampling protocol that prevents contamination along with a refined organic residue analysis methodology that relies on a series of co-occurring compounds to identify confidently beer in ceramic vessels. The same compounds were identified in several modern beer samples and, thus, support our identification of a similar fermented barley-based beverage in archaeological samples from the late second millennium BCE site of Khani Masi in northeastern Iraq. The results presented in this paper allow us, for the first time, to unambiguously link a diverse range of vessel types to the consumption and production of beer, identify a fundamental change in Mesopotamian consumption practices, and shed light on the cultural dimensions of Babylonia's encounter with the Zagros-Mesopotamian borderlands. Highlights • First chemical identification of beer in Mesopotamian drinking vessels. • Robust new methodology to avoid modern contamination as a major source of bias. • Evidence from Khani Masi excavation (Sirwan Regional Project) provides new insights into cultural dimensions of Babylonia's imperial encounter. • Development of new standards of food items to identify ancient substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Market resistance has been studied in relation to ecological and ethical tourism, while lifestyle-based resistance has received less attention. This study examines a group of long-term travellers, the ‘global nomads’, who avoid the tourism industry by making long-term lifestyle changes, engaging in voluntary simplicity and non-monetary exchange. They seek authenticity by interacting with locals, representing an increasing trend. More conventional tourists also seek similar experiences, posing challenges to the tourism industry. Analysed with Foucauldian theories, global nomads' market resistance is shown to be contradictory as it also reinforces the market. However, even if partial, global nomads' resistance reminds us that tourism is not just an industry. It is also negotiated between private individuals, with or without intermediaries, which calls for rethinking of the concept of ‘tourism’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing is the property of Institute of Sociology NAS of Ukraine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the methodological practice of Go-Alongs for exploring immigrant entrepreneurs' native customers, a barely developed subfield within immigrant business research. Through accompanying individuals on outings in their familiar environments, Go-Alongs as a qualitative data collection method are used to gain access to practices, experiences and interpretations of individuals in their everyday routines. Drawing on current qualitative research on native customers in immigrant grocery shops in Vienna, the article demonstrates how Go-Alongs can be used for exploring consumption practices and patterns of interethnic interaction in this specific setting. What becomes apparent is that Go-Alongs provide an opportunity to gain access to reflexive aspects of lived experience in situ, in the present case expressed by spontaneous and emotional comments when the shop, ethnic products or interethnic interactions are commented on and evaluated. Moreover, Go-Alongs allow insights into modes of self-expression. However, Go-Alongs have limitations as they cannot capture consumption practices beyond the limited time and space of shopping. Furthermore, they do not fully provide access to narratives and discourses; therefore, Go-Alongs are most useful in combination with in-depth interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the impact of different consumption patterns that are used to counteract economic hardship and to mitigate the effects of such hardship in times of crisis in Germany. We focus on resilient socioeconomic practices, such as the development of formal or informal practices of consumption, production, and saving. We develop a critical approach of social resilience that is combined with the idea of a bricolage (Levi-Strauss, 1962) of 'mixed economy' practices (Malcolmson, ). This is done by demonstrating the relevance of preconditions for resilient practices. Based on an analysis of in-depth biographical interviews, two main types of resilient consumption practices and strategies of those who experience economic hardship are identified. First, saving, as the predominant practice, includes buying low-priced items at discount stores, taking advantage of the offerings of charity organisations, and reducing expenditures overall. Second, home production consists of subsistence farming or do-it-yourself activities for personal use or bartering. In this context, particular attention is paid to the reactivation of traditional noncommodified practices, such as the nonmonetary (mutual) exchange of goods and services within social networks, and the reactivation of previously undervalued knowledge that results in new spheres of production. We conclude by discussing the relevance of preconditions and consequences-as well as the demands and personal costs-of the resilient practices used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The omnipresence of norms on the market requires us to question their influence on consumption practices, how to study them, design them and manage them. Drawing on the work of Foucault, this article sets out to test prior research on consumption against the norm, normality and deviance. Given the political nature of (ab)normalisation, three government modes and market topographies (anthropemous, anthropophagous and mutualist) can be identified based on the primary political models that shape them (conservatism, liberalism and communism). The author concludes by challenging the role of the researcher in the politicisation of practices and emphasises the risks of failing to consider the norm and (ab)normality in consumption research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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El presente trabajo corresponde a una investigación trasversal correlacional que estudia relación que existiría entre variables económicas y el bienestar psicológico en una muestra de 100 funcionarios públicos de la ciudad de Punta Arenas. Instrumentos desarrollados y adaptados por investigadores chilenos permitieron la medición de la alfabetización económica, hábitos de consumo y actitud frente al endeudamiento así como del bienestar subjetivo. Los resultados indican que en términos de la alfabetización los participantes muestran niveles similares a los encontrados en otras investigaciones chilenas y que esta se vincula únicamente con el aspecto subjetivo del bienestar. Con relación a los hábitos de consumo, se aprecian buenos conocimientos a pesar que en términos del endeudamiento los niveles son altos. Se observó una relación entre la actitud austera de la escala de endeudamiento y la felicidad. Los resultados son discutidos en torno a su potencial aporte con respecto al desarrollo de programas preventivos de intervención psicosocial.The aim of this study is the association between economics variables and well-being in public employee from Punta Arenas city. Scales were developed and adapted by Chilean researcher. There were used to measure economic literacy, consumptions practices, attitude towards indebtedness and well-being. One hundred voluntaries participated in across-correlacional study. The results indicate that in terms of economic literacy level the sample has a similar median than others chilean’ studies and this variable has association only with the subjective aspect of well-being. The consumptions practices are well known despite the high level of indebtedness. A correlation was observed between austere attitude and happiness. The results are discussed in relation with their contribution to the development of preventive programs for psychosocial intervention.

Based mostly on evidence from the UK, this paper challenges the rural’s usual association with predominantly conservative politics and practices. It advocates showing awareness of ambiguity in how representations, and specifically in this paper rural representations, and their numerous associated consumption practices are interpreted. A focus is given on the possibility of interpreting these practiced rural representations in the context of responses to the negative features within everyday life identified by writers such as Lefebvre. Drawing specifically on the “postmodern Marxism” of Gibson-Graham (2006), and particularly beginning to deploy what they term “reading for difference rather than dominance”, the paper introduces three “styles” of consuming the rural. These are expressed via the metaphors of bolt-hole, castle and life-raft, and it is argued that they can be read as expressing critique of urban everyday life. In the concluding section, the lessons learned from reading rural consumption practices for difference in this way are brought together to suggest that not only can the rural today be regarded as an active “heterotopia” but that this alternative status could be used to underpin an urban-focused social movement for reclamation of what Lefebvre termed “every-day life”.

En este artículo se aborda el fenómeno de la expansión simultánea y explosiva, desde fines de los años ochenta, en todo el espacio metropolitano de la ciudad de México, incluidas las zonas populares, de las cadenas comerciales globalizadas y el comercio informal y callejero. Los procesos subyacentes a este fenómeno son explorados a través de la observación de las prácticas de consumo, realizada en distintas zonas de la conurbación correspondientes a diferentes tipos de contextos urbanos y estratos socio-espaciales. El análisis de estas evidencias muestra, por una parte, una transformación de las prácticas de consumo que, como era de esperarse, se diferencian de acuerdo con la localización residencial, el contexto urbano correspondiente, el nivel socio-económico de individuos y hogares, y formas alternativas de movilidad (automóvil - transporte público). Pero, por otra, que dichas prácticas están marcadas por una economía específica de la movilidad y por la complementariedad entre las formas globalizadas del consumo y el papel jugado por el micro-comercio informalThis paper addresses the phenomenon of the simultaneous and explosive expansion since the late eighties all over Mexico City metropolitan space, of the globalized retail chains and the street informal micro commerce. The processes linked to this phenomenon are explored by examining evidences regarding metropolitan population consumption practices, observed in a sample of neighbourhoods areas concerning a wide spectrum of urban environments and socio-spatial strata co-existing in the metropolitan territory. The analysis shows, on one hand, a transformation of consumption practices that, as it was expected, are differentiated according to residential location and its corresponding urban environment, individual and household socio-economic level, and alternative forms of mobility (private car - public transport). But, on the other hand, that these practices are also shaped by a specific economy of mobility and by specific compatibilities between globalized consumption forms -which tend to incorporate, though under different modalities, all social classes-, and the role played by the informal micro commerce

China is quickly becoming one of the most ageing populations in Asia. Ageing and the associated issue of health care are becoming two key concerns for the government, the market, individual senior citizens and medical and health professionals alike. However, although we have some knowledge about what issues and problems exist in the domain of health and ageing, we know little about how these issues and problems inform individuals’ consumption practices and ethical positions of how they should live their lives. This article explores a range of problematic and uncertain situations facing the ageing population in urban China. Drawing on in-depth interviews with more than 20 senior citizens in a Chinese city, the article aims to understand the process by which new ethical ageing subjects come to be formed as individuals negotiate their positions vis-à-vis consumer advice from medical and health professionals, the government and the market. The article starts by identifying the most powerful forces shaping the health-keeping discourses and consumption practices adopted by senior citizens. It then provides an account of how ordinary retired citizens engage in health-keeping practices on a daily basis. Finally, the article outlines the host of feelings that motivate China’s senior citizens’ active participation in the regimes of healthy living, as well as a range of everyday ethical positions that emerge from their consumption practices. The article argues that as China has been transformed from a socialist state into a neoliberal regime, questions of how neoliberalism works as both a set of techniques of governing and a set of socio-economic policies in the Chinese context must be answered. In the same way that the biopower is a pertinent question to ask of any modern society, how a neoliberal governmentality and its biopolitics work in the Chinese context is both relevant and timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous consumer research has generated rich knowledge about the dynamics of everyday intimacy. However, what is lacking is an understanding of the role the body plays in intimacy. To redress this gap, we set out to think of consumers’ intimate lives from an embodied perspective. To this aim, we take a practice lens to study the intimate practice of sleeping that offers, we argue, a fruitful context for highlighting the significance of bodily aspects. It also enables us to shed new light on the previously identified emotional, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions that structure and organize intimate practices. Our exploratory study employs a set of sleep-related cultural data to illustrate how consumption in sleeping practices is present in many previously unrecognized ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cosmet'eau project (2015-2018) investigates the 'changes in the personal care product (PCP) consumption practices: from whistle-blowers to impacts on aquatic environments.' In this project, the example of PCPs will be used to understand how public health concerns related to micropollutants can be addressed by public authorities-including local authorities, industries, and consumers. The project aims to characterize the possible changes in PCP consumption practices and to evaluate the impact of their implementation on aquatic contamination. Our goals are to study the whistle-blowers, the risk perception of consumers linked with their practices, and the contamination in parabens and their substitutes, triclosan, and triclocarban from wastewater to surface water. The project investigates the following potential solutions: modifications of industrial formulation or changes in consumption practices. The final purpose is to provide policy instruments for local authorities aiming at building effective strategies to fight against micropollutants in receiving waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The great body of people struggles for identity construction through the things and practices to live up to a lifestyle. Living in the gated community means bordering the lives from the city life. By means of privileged houses, a gated community functions for the terms as privilege, prestige, safety and hygiene. This study questions consumption practices of women of a gated community in Izmir. While the informants having different education levels, they spend their leisure times in a similar scheme of life. They behave as social club members. They alter their personalities through their possessions, commodities and daily life objects that consumed in terms of design, fashion, style, and brand articulations. This paper analyzes consumption practices as leisure time activities and discuss material relations as the values of commodities in this socio-spatial context. Their happiness, the issue of 'demand for more' and satisfaction levels in relation with this living concept are emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines native consumption practices in immigrant grocery stores. Drawing on qualitative research on immigrant food retail in Vienna, we reveal how native Austrians use immigrant grocery shops, how they purchase products and which meanings they attribute to the act of shopping. We identified two different modes of shopping: While consuming for convenience is driven by aspects of practicability, consuming for exceptionality is related to the attraction of 'the foreign'. This typology corresponds with two special types of consumers: The 'Because'-consumers use immigrant shops mainly because of the ethnicity associated with the shops, the owners and their staff. The 'Nevertheless'-consumers use these shops in spite of the entrepreneurs' (imagined) ethnic origin and their migrant background. While 'Because'-consumers run the risk of reproducing ethnic stereotypes, the 'Nevertheless'- consumers may tend to retain or even strengthen their xenophobic resentments. These results partly challenge previous findings which argue that natives' shopping routines in immigrant stores have become increasingly ordinary. We conclude by suggesting further research to examine the conditions under which an everyday engagement with foreign culture is promoted - without falling into the trap of reproducing symbolic boundaries between the majority and the minority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of Levantine ivories has focused overwhelmingly on stylistic classification in pursuit of attribution to specific locations of production. This focus has had the effect of overlooking a consideration of the uses of ivories in the Levant as a whole. Starting from ivories found in predominately Levantine cultural contexts at Zincirli, Ḥamāh and Tall Ḥalaf, this paper examines the range of genres and forms of ivory objects consumed by Iron Age Levantine communities. As parts of furnishings, containers, toiletry items, and military gear, ivory played a central role in the display of elite Iron Age Levantine identities, both in life and death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the impact intentional non-consumption has on consumer practices, the resulting consumption experiences and meanings attached to the actions of participants and what is learned from this relative to voluntary simplicity, most specifically when participants are asked to become voluntary simplifiers versus volunteering to do so. Design/methodology/approach – A phenomenological approach was applied utilising unstructured interviews and autoethnography. Data were analysed through the theoretical lens of voluntary simplicity within the contexts of contemporary Irish consumer culture and the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. Findings – The study highlights findings in four key areas: self-imposed parameters of intentional non-consumption and subsequent voluntary simplicity categories; motivations, practices and experiences of participants; the role intentional non-consumption plays relative to personal satisfaction, fulfilment and happiness; and how participant consumption practices reverted to “normal” once the study was complete. Research limitations/implications – This study focuses on an all-female group of participants; future research is warranted that explores the issue from a male perspective. Social implications – Findings are of particular interest to policy makers seeking to develop initiatives that reduce consumption practices and contribute to discussions that explore the role of consumption in modern society – in particular the wide-ranging debate on whether consumption leads to happiness and how consumers might be persuaded to consume in a more sustainable manner. Originality/value – This study adopts an innovative methodology that explores voluntary simplicity and contributes to an understanding of consumption culture by exploring what happens when consumers are asked to reduce their consumption and become voluntary simplifiers. An extension of Huneke’s definition of voluntary simplicity is offered, which recognises the role non-material consumption plays in consumption practices, and explores voluntary simplicity relative not only to individuals’ values and beliefs, as discussed in the literature, but also to their lifestyle activities and wider sociocultural and institutional factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O propósito desta investigação foi descrever as estratégias e práticas de socialização econômica numa mostra de 132 famílias de classe média da cidade de Temuco,Chile. Os resultados assinalam que existe consenso entre as famílias a respeito da necessidade de educar aos meninos no uso do dinheiro e que esta é uma responsabilidade dos pais. Aprecia-se uma ampla dispersão entre as práticas que os pais dizem utilizar para alfabetizar os seus filhos no uso do dinheiro. As que são mais bem intuitivas, pouco sistemáticas e isoladas, não constituindo Estratégias de Socialização. Mostra-se inconsistência entre os valores expressados pelos pais e as práticas que empregam. A experiência de socialização temporã dos pais em suas famílias de origem repercute na educação de seus filhos, o que leva a concluir a presença de uma influência entre gerações no processo de socialização econômica.The purpose of this investigation was to describe the strategies and practices of economic socialization in a sample of 132 middle class families of Temuco, a city in Chile. The results show that there is an agreement among the families about the necessity to educate the children about the use of money, and that this is a responsibility that concerns the parents. A wide dispersion is observed among the practices that the parents claim to use to educate their children about the use of money. The practices which are rather intuitive, not very systematic and isolated, do not constitute strategies of socialization, and show inconsistency among the values expressed by the parents and the practices used by them. The parents' experience of an early socialization in their origin families rebounds in the education of their children, consequently leading to the presence of an intergenerational influence in the process of economic socialization.

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The most commonly used family of models in representing the UK building stock, BREDEM (the Building Research Establishment Domestic Energy Models), assume that all homes exhibit the same heating pattern and hence can be expected to have similar temperature profiles over the course of a day. The presented research shows that homes differ significantly in their respective temperature profile over the course of the day. A cluster analysis performed on temperature data from 275 living rooms in English homes over three winter months resulted in four different clusters of temperature profiles. The clusters differ significantly in their shape, as revealed by visual inspection, and supported by significant differences in minimum and maximum temperatures and temperature variability across the day. About 40% of homes showed a bimodal temperature pattern as assumed under BREDEM. However, the remaining 60% showed very different profiles. These findings challenge the assumption that one standard pattern fits all homes. Different temperature demand profiles have important implications for future peak power demands, particularly if domestic space heating is switched to electricity. It is also helpful for relating occupant demographics to appropriate forms of fabric retrofit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]