Retail Therapy

7/21/2019 Retail Therapy

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Andy C. Pratt

Retail therapy

Article (Accepted version)(Refereed)

Original citation:Pratt, Andy C. (2004) Retail therapy. Geoforum, 35 (5). pp. 519-521.DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2004.07.001 © 2004 Elsevier

This version available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/277/ Available in LSE Research Online: December 2005

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2004.07.001

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http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/277/

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/277/

http://www.elsevier.com/

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2004.07.001

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http://www.lse.ac.uk/people/[email protected]/



Editorial GeoForum Vol 35/5 (2004)

Retail therapy

Andy C Pratt

epartment o! Geo"raphy and En#ironment

$ondon %&hool o! E&onomi&'

ou"hton %treet

$ondon C2A 2AE

a*&*pratt+l'e*a&*u,

Analy'e' o! &on'umption are mu&h li,e retail therapy* -he notion o! retail therapy

'u""e't' that 'hoppin" o!!er' a 'olution to real pro.lem'* ut o! &our'e loo,ed at

more &lo'ely it .e&ome' &lear that retail therapy i' anti1therapy it i' an a#oidan&e

te&hniue a di'tra&tion it i' not a.out the &on!rontation and re'olution o! pro.lem'*

%o it i' ith re'ear&h that i' !o&u'ed on &on'umption illuminatin" throu"h they are

they are ultimately .oth limited and limitin"*

6n traditional analy'e' &on'umption i' &hara&teri'ed a' 'e&ondary or deri#ati#e o!

produ&tion* -here!ore produ&tion a' the 'our&e o! all (true) #alue ha' .een the !o&u'

o! attention* Con'umption 'tudie' are po'itioned in 'u&h a ay that they only &apture

the di'tri.ution o! "ood' in e&onomie' #ia a &om.ination o! &on'umer &hoi&e and

di'tri.ution &hannel'* 6n an hi'tori&al pha'e in the de#eloped orld at lea't here

.oth &hoi&e o! produ&t' and di'tri.ution &hannel' ere limited 'u&h a di#i'ion o!

la.our 'eemed to pa'' unue'tioned*

7



oe#er the 'tru&ture o! de#eloped e&onomie' ha' &han"ed in that la't 50 year'

&hara&teri'ed .y a 'hi!t toard' the 'er#i&e 'e&tor* 6n thi' 'en'e there doe' 'eem to .e

a 'tri,in" di'8un&ture .eteen the analyti&al tool' that appear &ra!ted !or a

manu!a&turin" e&onomy .ein" .lunted on a 'er#i&e e&onomy* A"ain't 'u&h a

.a&,"round a !ul'ome turn to &on'umption appear' to o!!er !re'h and timely in'i"ht*

-o .e 'ure in &on'umption orientated approa&he' &on'umer' are "i#en a"en&y and

their moti#e' may .e a&,noled"ed to .e &ontradi&tory and not 'olely e&onomi&* An

e9ten'ion o! thi' i' 'ome analy'e' o! the :ne e&onomy; perhap' .e't 'ummed up in

Rei&h;' (Rei&h 2000) phra'e :the a"e o! the terri!i& deal; here it i' the or, o!

!inan&ial mediation and re1mediation that i' the 'our&e o! ealth* 6n Rei&h;' #er'ion

the radi&al 'hi!t i' that the poer o! ma,in" the deal i' pu'hed .a&, to the &on'umer

ithout the need !or intermediarie'* -hu' the ta.le' appear to ha#e .een turned the

&on'umer i' :,in"; produ&er' 'u&&eed or !ail a&&ordin" to the &li&, o! a &u'tomer;'

mou'e*

Con'umption and produ&tion approa&he' 'eem to o!!er to 'ide' o! the 'ame &oin* 6t

i' a' i! a Ge'talt 'hi!t ha' o&&urred* oe#er the appearan&e o! totality i' illu'ory

thi' i' a duali'm* 6! e are to en"a"e in real therapy e need to loo, to the underlyin"

&au'e* 6n thi' &a'e a &laim &ould .e made that the #illain o! the pie&e i' -al&ott

Par'on'* hy< A' i' ell ,non Par'on' played a 'eminal role in !ramin" and

populari'in" the 'tudy and method' o! e&onomi& 'o&iolo"y a !ormulation that ha'

re&ently underpinned many 'o&ial and e&onomi& "eo"raphie'* Rather li,e

Gidden';(Gidden' 7=>4) more re&ently the analyti& 'trate"y o! Par'on' a' !ounded

in a readin" o! the :"reat'; !rom hi&h he !a'hioned a ne 'ynthe'i' o! 'o&iolo"y*

?nli,e Gidden' (ho nota.ly i"nore' e&onomi& 'o&iolo"y) Par'on' 'pent an early

2



part o! hi' a&ademi& &areer a' an e&onomi't* Central to thi' ne 'ynthe'i' outlined in

-he %tru&ture o! %o&ial A&tion (Par'on' 7=@7) i' the :analyti&al !a&tor #ie; here.y

‘economics was to study the allocation of means in the means-ends chain that

constitutes human behaviour, sociology would concentrate on the ‘value factor’, i.e.

the ‘ultimate common ends and the attitudes associated with and underlying them,

considered in their various modes of expression of human social life’ (Parsons 1!1"

#$, overall %uotation (&elthuis, 1'.

-he Par'onian le"a&y i' the di'&rete analyti&al 'eparation o! the e&onomi& 'o&ial

politi&al et&* additionally the unue'tioned !ramin" o! 'u&h a di#i'ion .y neo1

&la''i&al e&onomi& &on&ept' and ta9onomie'* -hu' 'o&ial1e&onomi& or produ&tion1

&on'umption polaritie' are !i9ed a' immuta.le .inarie' that are to .e analy'ed .y

parti&ular di'&ipline' and te&hniue'* 6n the 'pirit o! re#i#in" the :"reat'; it i' orth

remem.erin" that e ha#e .een here .e!ore* early 750 year' a"o Barl ar9 (7=D3

==) a' &ritiuin" a 'imilar pro.lem in hi' utline o! the Critiue o! Politi&al

E&onomy (Grundri''e)

Production thus not only creates an ob)ect for the sub)ect, but also a sub)ect for the

ob)ect. *hus production produces consumption (1' by creating the material for it+ ($'

by determining the manner of consumption+ and (' by creating the products, initially

posited by it as ob)ects, in the form of a need felt by the consumer. t thus produces

the ob)ect of consumption, the manner of consumption and the motive of consumption.

onsumption li/ewise produces the producer0s in&lination by bec/oning to him as an

aim-determining need.

3



ar9 too a' 'tru""lin" to mo#e .eyond the ta9onomi& 'ha&,le' o! &la''i&al

e&onomi&'* ar9;' point a' that neither produ&tion nor &on'umption are appropriate

&ate"orie' or analyti&al point' o! departure* Can e mo#e .eyond the !ra"ment'< Can

&on'umption and produ&tion .e put .a&, to"ether a"ain< -he 'eminal po'ition in

'o&iolo"y i' that repre'ented .y the or, o! ar, Grano#etter (Grano#etter 7=>5

7==2) ho o!!er' the &on&ept o! em.eddedne'' to re'ol#e the duali'm* %adly the !ull

e9tent o! Grano#etter;' ar"ument i' 'eldom dran upon to !ull e!!e&t* -he &ru9 o!

Grano#etter;' inter#ention i' not to #ie em.eddedne'' a' &onte9t a' it i' &ommonly

deployed .y re'ear&her' a mo#e hi&h a' e ha#e noted ould repre'ent a return to

Par'on' .ut rather hi' point i' to en"a"e ith a !ull 'o&ial &on'tru&ti#i't a&&ount o!

:the e&onomy; a' &urrently &on'tituted .y :e&onomi&';* 6t i' de.atea.le hether

Grano#etter;' ritin"' deli#er on thi' point* oe#er !rom a "eo"raphi&al point o!

#ie e mi"ht pu'h thi' pro"ramme !urther and 'u""e't that 'u&h an a&&ount 'hould

not .e e9hau'ted .y the 'o&ial relation' o! produ&tion or on the other hand .y and

e9ploration o! &ultural 'i"ni!i&an&e .ut in'tead it mu't al'o en"a"e ith the 'pa&in"

and timin" o! people and thin"'i*

! &our'e 'u&h a pre'&ription may 'eem to .e an impo''i.ly tall order* ut e &an

'ee indi&ati#e 'tep' .ein" ta,en thou"h a num.er o! approa&he' ('ee 'pe&ial i''ue o!

E&onomy and %o&iety 2002 (a&,'on 2002 u,in 2004)* Althou"h there are internal

di!!eren&e' 'u&h approa&he' tend to a&&eptan&e o! the ua'i1anthropolo"i&al di&tum

to :!ollo the a&tor' and a&tant' throu"h 'o&iety ithout !ear or !a#our; ($atour H

ool"ar 7=>@)* %u&h a methodolo"i&al approa&h doe' not 'i"nal a return to

empiri&i'm .ut in'tead i' indi&ati#e o! 'trate"y one that i' deployed to .ypa'' the

4



e9i'tin" ta,en !or "ranted &la''i!i&atory &ate"orie' and to en&oura"e re'ear&her' to re1

thin, the :produ&tion; o! parti&ular e!!e&t'* -hi' i' a point o! #ie al'o !ind' ri&h

e9pre''ion in the later or, o! Fou&ault too and hen&e the e#o&ation to rite a

:hi'tory o! the pre'ent; ho the here and no &ame to .e here and no (ur&hell

Gordon iller H Fou&ault 7==7)*

%u&h a re'ear&h dire&tion &ontra't' 'tron"ly ith popular netor, approa&he' ith

hi&h 'u&h approa&he' and their a'piration' appear to 'hare 'imilaritie'* Popular

netor, analy'e' are duali't they 'ee, to &onne&t not mediate or tran'!orm their

&on'tituent &omponent'* %e&ond they predominantly !o&u' on produ&tion lin,a"e'*

-hird they totally a&&ept pre1"i#en :node'; or :o.8e&t';* e!inin" node' &on'tru&t'

!lo' 'u&h an approa&h i' ua'i1empiri&al in that it !ail' to a&&ount !or the

&on'tru&tion o! either and it !all' .a&, on une9amined ta9onomi& &ate"orie' o!

e&onomi&'*

y &on&lu'ion i' that &on'umption approa&he' may end up a' a potential di'tra&tion*

-hi' i' not .e&au'e they or their 'u.8e&t material are !ri#olou' or la&,in" in ri"our*

Rather it i' .e&au'e they are potentially &on&eptually limited and mono1dimen'ional*

6n !a&t they 'hare a remar,a.le 'imilarity ith produ&tion approa&he'* -he &hallen"e

i' to tran'&end the produ&tion1&on'umption &ouplet alon" ith it' 'i.lin"' &ulture1

e&onomy and 'o&ial1e&onomy and to !ully apprehend their multi1!a&eted 'ituatedne''

in term' o! 'pa&e1time1matter* nly hen e ha#e tra#elled don thi' road ill ha#e

truly under"one 'u.'tanti#e therapy*

5



Re!eren&e'

ur&hell G* Gordon C* iller P* H Fou&ault * (7==7)* -he Fou&ault

e!!e&t 'tudie' in "o#ernmentality ith to le&ture' .y and an inter#ie ith i&helFou&ault* $ondon

Chi&a"o ar#e'ter heat'hea!

?ni#er'ity o! Chi&a"o Pre''*

Gidden' A* (7=>4)* -he &on'titution o! 'o&iety outline o! the theory o!

'tru&turation* Cam.rid"e Polity Pre''*Grano#etter * (7=>5)* E&onomi& a&tion and 'o&ial 'tru&ture the pro.lem o!

em.eddedne''* Ameri&an ournal o! %o&iolo"y =7 4>71570*

Grano#etter * (7==2)* E&onomi& in'titution' a' 'o&ial &on'tru&tion' 1 a

!rameor, !or analy'i'* A&ta 'o&iolo"i&a 35 3177*

a&,'on P* (2002)* Commer&ial &ulture' tran'&endin" the &ultural and the

e&onomi&* Pro"re'' in uman Geo"raphy 2@ 317>*$atour * H ool"ar %* (7=>@)* $a.oratory li!e the &on'tru&tion o!

'&ienti!i& !a&t'* Prin&eton * Prin&eton ?ni#er'ity Pre''*

Par'on' -* (7=@7)* -he 'tru&ture o! 'o&ial a&tion a 'tudy in 'o&ial theory ith

'pe&ial re!eren&e to a "roup o! re&ent European riter' (2nd ed*)* e Ior, Free

Pre'' o! Glen&oe*

Rei&h R* * (2000)* -he !uture o! 'u&&e'' (7't ed*)* e Ior, A* Bnop!*Velthui' * (7===)* -he &han"in" relation'hip .eteen e&onomi& 'o&iolo"y

and in'titutional e&onomi&' !rom -al&ott Par'on' to ar, Grano#etter* Ameri&an

8ournal o! e&onomi&' and 'o&iolo"y 5> @2=1@4=*

u,in %* (2004)* Point o! pur&ha'e ho 'hoppin" &han"ed Ameri&an &ulture*

e Ior, $ondon Routled"e*

ord' 725=

E&onomy and %o&iety (2002) %pe&ial i''ue on te&hnolo"i&al e&onomie' E&onomy and

%o&iety 31 (2) 7D5130@

ar9 B* (7=D3) Grundrisse: an outline of the critique of political economy.

Harmondsworth, Penguin.

%&ott A** (2000) -he &ultural e&onomy o! &itie'* $ondon %a"e*

@



i 6 ould ar"ue that the notion' o! &ulturali'ation and e&onomi'tion ('ee !or e9ample %&ott 2000) &an .e 'u.8e&ted to the'ame &ritiue a' that ad#an&ed here ith re'pe&t to the term' produ&tion and &on'umption*

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Retail Therapy