Ordinary Resistance As a Parasitic Form of Action: a Dialogical Analysis of Consumer/Firm Relations

Premised on Foucault’s (1982) analysis of power relations, this paper proposes an alternative reading of consumer resistance that extends Holt’s (2002) dialogical perspective between consumers and firms. Using a hermeneutic approach based on introspective essays and in-depth interviews with eight ordinary informants conducted over an eighteen-month period, it shows how resistance can be seen as a constructed interaction between consumers and market offerings. The results disclose three forms of resistance, which confront the three levels of legitimization that firms deploy on the market. They also reveal varied modes of reaction related to consumers’ ability to master codes and to mobilize appropriate resources to challenge firms.

Citation:

Dominique Roux (2007) ,"Ordinary Resistance As a Parasitic Form of Action: a Dialogical Analysis of Consumer/Firm Relations", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 34, eds. Gavan Fitzsimons and Vicki Morwitz, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 602-609.