Evolving desire to experience the social ‘other’: Insights from the high-society bazaar

Abstract

We explore key changes in orientations toward encountering and experiencing the 'other' in new consumption venues as a result of the transformations in globalization and modern culture. Our research aims to provide insights into how 'experiencing the other' is increasingly sought in high-society bazaars by both upper and lower social classes, respectively representing the westernized and traditional social elements in Turkey, where the West meets the East. Findings unravel the means that enable people to construct new constellations of identities and experience the other in these consumption spaces. As a result, we revisit and extend different theoretical insights on identity construction and otherness by recognizing more recent cultural trends and sensibilities that guide and motivate people to seek multiplicity and to experience difference.

Toward a theory of subcultural mosaic: Fragmentation into and within subcultures

“…(Jason)Contrary to the emphasis on homologous social groupings with some adversarial attitudes toward each other in previous studies, these instances highlight the growing tolerance for differences and multiplicity without judgments of superiority and inferiority (Fırat and Dholakia, 2006). Rather than excluding the other to assert superiority (Goldstein-Gidoni, 2005), contemporary subcultures foster a desire to experience the social “other” (Tzanelli, 2001; Vicdan and Fırat, 2015) in various contexts such as music, lifestyle, and ideology. Yet, this acceptance of multiplicity, as illustrated consistently in informants’ remarks, does not necessarily result in absence of a frame of reference or preference for subcultures that informants may feel most attached to.…”

Management of traditional retail markets in the UK: comparative case studies

“…For example, on the one hand, research from Jones et al (2007) highlighted the struggle of TRM in two localities in the UK where they were left deteriorating due to the lack of re-investment in the infrastructure of the market. On the other, some demonstrate the evidence that traditional markets could be turned into a successful business model, the so-called “high-society bazaar” serving authentic, high-quality, high-price food to affluent consumers (Vicdan and Fırat, 2015; Coles and Crang, 2011). However, some critics have questioned whether turning traditional markets into high-end food specialist is a desirable strategy, given its public purpose is the market for everyone (Gonzalez and Waley, 2013) while others argue that ultimately the direction for TRM is shaped by the cultural and economic practices of each region and city (Smith et al , 2014).…”

A Brand Culture Approach to Managing Nation‐Brands

“…The values and lifestyles featured are neither fully culturally proximal for everyone nor culturally distant, nor Eastern or Western. They feature an accessible modernity (Kraidy and al‐Ghazzi, ) and are ‘familiarly novel’ (Vicdan and Firat, : 13). Second, the soap opera also easily lends itself to studying historical and political relationships and tensions, especially pertaining to the aftermath of empires, as its examination in such contexts has generated important insights in other disciplines including cultural studies and communications (Allen ; Ashcroft et al ., ).…”