Reproducing and Subverting the Global Hierarchy: Revisiting Advertising in a Postcolonial Setting

Reproducing and Subverting the Global Hierarchy: Revisiting Advertising in a Postcolonial Setting In uncovering the creative process through which ‘auto-orientalism’ is employed, I argue that extant theorization based on the post-colonial framework has overemphasized the ‘orientalist’ discourse and has failed to comprehend two other significant features embedded in Indian advertising texts. First, I show that a subversive discourse of ‘occidentalism’ is an important part of comprehending the relationship between advertising and otherness in India. Second, my research shows that Indian advertising cannot be sufficiently situated within the post-colonial framework and requires insights into other possible historical processes. In particular, I highlight the role of social class in Indian advertising that has emerged from the society’s experience of capitalism.

Citation:

Rohit Varman (2009) ,"Reproducing and Subverting the Global Hierarchy: Revisiting Advertising in a Postcolonial Setting", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 36, eds. Ann L. McGill and Sharon Shavitt, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 928-928.