Introduction: The Politics of Necessity

B Morgan, F Trentmann

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article introduces a special issue of the Journal of Consumer Policy that traces the development of a 'politics of necessity', using water and energy as the principal material forms, and both developed and developing countries as a contextual focus. It brings together four bodies of literature: i) inquiries into consumer politics and commodification; ii) questions of international development; iii) sociological debates about routine or 'ordinary' consumption; and iv) historical explorations of the centrality of ‘necessities’ in the formation of modern social movements and the democratic imagination. The introductory essay provides a framework for the speical issue, and an overview of the seven articles which move from history and philosophy, to the role of consumers, and finally to governance contexts both of national states and more globally. Each section highlights the different implications of the discussion for developed and developing countries, as well as their interdependence.
Translated title of the contributionIntroduction: The Politics of Necessity
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)345 - 353
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Consumer Policy
Volume29
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2006

Bibliographical note

Publisher: Springer
Other: Special Issue on 'The Politics of Necessity', edited by Bronwen Morgan and Frank Trentmann

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