American Fetish: Consumer Culture Encounters the Other

Harvard FAS

Our consumer culture bombards us with images, logos, and representations of human difference; and this bombardment can shape and even manufacture consumer desires and attitudes. Have you ever wondered, for example, why computers and phones bearing an Apple logo seem to be “worth” more than other, similar products? Or why we’re willing to pay more for certain commodities – like blue jeans – that bear a recognizable label? What does it mean when sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity, and other…