This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Campbell, C. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Craft Consumer

Culture, craft and consumption in a postmodern society

University of York, cbc3{at}york.ac.uk

This article proposes that social scientists should explicitly recognize the existence of consumers who engage in ‘craft consumption’ and, hence, of an additional image of the consumer to set alongside those of ‘the dupe’,‘the rational hero’ and the ‘postmodern identity-seeker’. The term ‘craft’ is used to refer to consumption activity in which the ‘product’ concerned is essentially both ‘made and designed by the same person’ and to which the consumer typically brings skill, knowledge, judgement and passion while being motivated by a desire for self-expression. Such genuine craft consumption is then distinguished from such closely associated practices as ‘personalization’ and ‘customization’ and identified as typically encountered in such fields as interior decorating, gardening, cooking and the selection of clothing ‘outfits’. Finally, after noting that craft consumers are more likely to be people with both wealth and cultural capital, Kopytoff’s suggestion that progressive commodification might prompt a ‘decommodifying reaction’ is taken as a starting point for some speculations concerning the reasons for the recent rise of craft consumption.

Key Words: creativity • customization • decommodification • personalization • self-expression

Journal of Consumer Culture, Vol. 5, No. 1, 23-42 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1469540505049843


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Pike Geographies of brands and branding Progress in Human Geography, October 1, 2009; 33(5): 619 - 645. [Abstract] [PDF]

				N. Gregson, A. Metcalfe, and L. Crewe Practices of Object Maintenance and Repair: How consumers attend to consumer objects within the home Journal of Consumer Culture, July 1, 2009; 9(2): 248 - 272. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Molesworth and J. Denegri-Knott The Playfulness of eBay and the Implications for Business as a Game-Maker Journal of Macromarketing, December 1, 2008; 28(4): 369 - 380. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Watson and E. Shove Product, Competence, Project and Practice: DIY and the dynamics of craft consumption Journal of Consumer Culture, March 1, 2008; 8(1): 69 - 89. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Smardon `I'd rather not take Prozac': stigma and commodification in antidepressant consumer narratives Health (London) , January 1, 2008; 12(1): 67 - 86. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Hand and E. Shove Condensing Practices: Ways of living with a freezer Journal of Consumer Culture, March 1, 2007; 7(1): 79 - 104. [Abstract] [PDF]