Consuming Nationhood: Understanding the Role of Consumption in the Construction of Indian Nationhood

The construction of national identity through consumption processes is an under-researched area in consumer research. In this study, I examine the role of consumption in the construction of Indian nationality. In offering a historical analysis of the relationship between consumption and nationhood in India, I show that consumption objects are infused with social, economic, and political meanings that emerge from the nation’s experience of colonialism and globalization. These meaning laden consumption objects, in turn, have become simultaneous markers of colonial hegemony and the nationalist resistance to it. This dialectical interpretation situates consumption objects as important symbols of transition in the history of Indian nationhood.

Citation:

Rohit Varman (2009) ,"Consuming Nationhood: Understanding the Role of Consumption in the Construction of Indian Nationhood", in AP - Asia-Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 8, eds. Sridhar Samu, Rajiv Vaidyanathan, and Dipankar Chakravarti, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 239-239.