消費研究中的政治經濟學爭議

Debates about Political Economy in Consumption Studies

孫治本(Chi-Pen Sun)

《東吳社會學報》 17期 (2004/12) Pp. 43-67

摘要

越來越多的商品被賦予文化的象徵意義，商品的文化化，使「文化經濟」概念越來越重要。我們研究文化經濟，可以從生產層面著手，也可以從消費層面著手。採取政治經濟學批判視野的研究者，在文化經濟和消費的研究上，強調異化、宰制、剝削、霸權、殖民等概念；而如果從「生產－消費」這一組概念而言，政治經濟學認為生產決定消費，亦即其重視的是生產因素（生產方式、生產關係），消費則被視均被動、異化，受資本家操弄的行為。在文化商品的象徵體系中，政治經濟學的研究視野認為象徵受到文化經濟中的霸權（例如跨國文化企業）所操弄，消費者只是文化商品象徵意義的被動接受者。然而消費研究的政治經濟學視野是有爭主義的，反對者認為消費與生產是兩個可以區分的概念，而且文化商品的消費者是有詮釋和創造力的。本文將從以下幾個議題探討消費研究中的政治經濟學爭議：消費是否只是生產的附屬概念？當代資本主義的發展，固然強化了文化經濟體系中的霸權努力，但是否亦增加了消費者的選擇？消費者真的只是被操弄者，還是消費者作為個人化的主體，能夠有自己對商品的詮釋和選擇？

關鍵字

消費 ； 政治經濟學 ； 個人化 ； 消費者選擇 ； 生活風格

並列摘要

In a postmodem society commodities are often signified as cultural symbols. Therefore, ”cultural economy” is becoming more and more important and could be studied in viewpoint of production or consumption. Researchers of political economy, in studying cultural economy and consumption, put great emphasis on conceptions such as alienation, domination, manipulation, hegemony, colonization and etc. They also argue that production determinates consumption. That is, only mode and relations of production count. Consumption is considered as a passive and alienated behavior dominated by capitalists. In the symbolic system of cultural commodities, according to political economy, symbols are manipulated by cultural hegemony (transnational enterprises for example). Consumers are just passive receivers of symbolic meanings of cultural commodities.However, this is not without dispute. Be opposed to political economy, some researchers believe that consumption could be an independent conception from production. Moreover, they argue that consumers own the capacity and power of interpretation and creativity. This paper discusses debates about political economy and some counter-theories in consumption studies. The main questions are: Is consumption only a conception derived from production? Have consumers more choices under the contemporary capitalism system? Are consumers merely manipulated by capitalists? Or they are individualized subjects and have their own interpretations and choice of commodities?

並列關鍵字

consumption ； political economy ； individualization ； consumer choice ； lifestyles

參考文獻

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