Consumer acculturation theory: (crossing) conceptual boundaries

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Consumer acculturation theorists have developed an insightful body of literature about the ways in which migrants adapt to foreign cultures via consumption. The present paper revisits fourteen key studies from this field to highlight its most important contributions, critique its conceptual boundaries, and present cases of conceptual border crossings that indicate an emerging need for a broader conceptualization of the phenomenon. The paper closes with introducing a model that frames consumer acculturation as a complex system of recursive socio-cultural adaptation, and discusses its implications for future research. Permanent

Oneself for another: The construction of intimacy in a world of strangers

“…These consumption experiences do not necessarily relate to distant geographical micro-places where other kinds of autobiographical consumption can occur. Such decontextualized consumption engagements are documented extensively in the literature on consumer acculturation, describing how the migrant is able to recreate, by means of consumption, a self that can seem disconnected and "outdated" (Luedicke, 2011). By taking the less visited path of contextualized consumption experiences during travel, the paper illustrates how consumption experiences support family members in the process of negotiating their history as a family.…”

Motherhood in migration: schools as acculturation agents

“…Such transitions are dependent on contextual factors from the migrants' origin and host cultures and are systemically influenced by these cultures and their institutions, including the government, school and religious structures, ethnic communities, mass media, and the market in general (Luedicke 2011). The post-assimilationist view in consumer research has contributed to our understanding of migration-related identity transitions by illustrating the plasticity involved in the experience of migration and how consumption supports acculturation.…”

“…While most research on acculturation emphasizes consumer agency, Luedicke (2011) suggests that under certain circumstances, migrants may not easily be able to bridge the logics of the home and host cultures due to the lack of economic, cultural, and social resources. Migration research has shown, for instance, how women with scarce capital (particularly economic and cultural) struggle to acculturate to new contexts.…”

“…Migration research has shown, for instance, how women with scarce capital (particularly economic and cultural) struggle to acculturate to new contexts. For example, Üstüner and Holt (2007) focus on the acculturation of poor rural migrants to an urban context and shed light on the profound frustrations that the dominant consumer culture can inflict upon the most vulnerable, as the lack of economic resources constrains consumers' possibilities and dominates their process of acculturation, forcing them to abandon personal ideals and ultimately leading to shattered identity projects (Üstüner and Holt 2007;Luedicke 2011).…”

Chinese relationship management: a qualitative study of banking in New Zealand

“…Peñaloza (1989, p. 116) conceptualised consumer acculturation agents as "those individuals or institutions who serve as sources of consumer information and/or models of consumption behavior". The possible outcomes of consumer acculturation are either that an acculturating individual accepts or rejects the host culture, or that the individual retains or rejects the original culture (Luedicke 2011;Peñaloza 1994).…”