From Starbucks to Carrefour: Consumer Boycotts, Nationalism and Taste in Contemporary China

Nyíri, Pál

doi:10.5130/portal.v6i2.936

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…China, in particular, has a long history of using boycotts of foreign products as a political weapon, stretching from the boycotts of American and Japanese goods in the early 20th century, provoked respectively by discrimination against Chinese workers in the United States and the perceived lenience of Chinese authorities vis-a-vis Japanese demands, to more recent examples such as the 2008 boycott of the French chain Carrefour, prompted by the Paris attack on the Olympic torch relay in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics and the alleged complicity of the French government and the media (Nyíri, 2009; Orchard, 1930). Recent examples awaiting analysis include the boycotting of German products since the Greek crisis, launched through social networks using hashtags such as #BoycottGermany (British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Trending, 2015).…”

Section: Consumer Nationalism: a Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Selling and consuming the nation: Understanding consumer nationalism

Castelló

Mihelj

2017

Journal of Consumer Culture

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, nations have regained prominence as central symbols of political unity and mobilization, and proved capable of serving political goals across the political spectrum. Yet, the current revival of the national extends well beyond the realm of politics; it is anchored in the logic of global capitalism, and has become inextricably intertwined with the practices of promotion and consumption. Our article seeks to map the interface between nationalism and economic life, and bring some clarity to the so far fragmented debate on the topic, which developed under diverse headings such as 'economic nationalism', 'nation branding', 'consumer ethnocentrism' and 'commercial nationalism'. We focus more closely on developing the concept of consumer nationalism, which received little sustained attention in cultural studies and in social sciences and humanities more generally. We offer a definition of consumer nationalism, situate it visa -vis the broader phenomena of economic nationalism and political consumerism, and propose an analytical distinction between political consumer nationalism and symbolic consumer nationalism. Drawing on existing literature we then consider a range of examples and examine how these two forms of consumer nationalism become involved in the reproduction of nationalism, taking into account both consciously nationalist discourses and practices as well as the more banal, everyday forms of nationalism.

show abstract

Section: Consumer Nationalism: a Typologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Selling and consuming the nation: Understanding consumer nationalism

Castelló

Mihelj

2017

Journal of Consumer Culture

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, there is little evidence of anti‐globalisation food boycotts, with some scholars suggesting that the link between ethics and consumption has not yet made it to China (Gerth, ). Boycotts of global products or retailers that have occurred have typically had a nationalistic bent, linked to the ways in which the companies have portrayed Chinese traditions in their advertising, rather than the social, ethical and/or ecological concerns that characterise boycotts in the global north (Dong and Tian, ; Nyiri, ). However, in recent years, food safety has become a focal issue and consumers are pursuing better food quality.…”

Section: Emergence Of Afns In the Context Of China's ‘Food Safety Crimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent nationalistic boycotts have been levelled against Carrefour, Coca‐Cola, McDonalds and Starbucks for example. See Nyiri () for a full discussion.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond ‘voting with your chopsticks’: Community organising for safe food in China

Schumilas

Scott

2016

Asia Pacific Viewpoint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper describes the recent emergence of alternative food networks in China in the context of widespread food quality concerns. Drawing on interviews and public blog posts, we illustrate how participants in these networks are moving beyond instrumental market relations and developing the collective agency necessary to participate in shaping China's food system. We argue that the initiators and participants in these alternative food networks are not only individual shoppers who ‘vote with their chopsticks’, but are also nascent activists deploying grassroots community organising strategies. We reveal how these networks are using inclusive and reflexive processes to build diverse networks, how they are using internet communications to extend their reach, voice dissent and engage in nascent ‘bottom up’ policy formation, and how they are building influential connections and actively, but unofficially, expanding linkages to broader emancipatory spaces of global and social justice movements.

show abstract

“…Some domestic companies responded with donations of aid and support. However, some highly visible multi-national corporations were slow to react (Nyíri, 2009;Katz, 2013;Reilly, 2013; CKGSB Knowledge, 2012). Netizens compiled a "stingy MNC list" containing, among others, Samsung, Nokia, Coca Cola, McDonald's and KFC, and urged a boycott of these companies due to their lack of corporate social responsibility (Wang & Pan, 2008).…”

Section: Geopolitics and Consumer Ethnocentrism In Chinamentioning

confidence: 99%

Reactionary Consumer Ethnocentrism in Urban China

Yao¹

2017

dtssehs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chinese consumers enjoy a greater choice of domestic and imported products than ever before. Consumer choices are based on, among other things, consumer ethnocentrism. This is a tendency to reject or boycott imported products, and it has long been of interest to both scholars and practitioners. As regional and global economies have evolved, the antecedents underlying consumer ethnocentrism have also changed, as has the relevance of product country of origin in influencing consumer decisions. Based on the findings of a quantitative survey conducted among young urban Chinese, this paper explores the influence of the antecedent's patriotism, nationalism and internationalism. This demographic of the Chinese population represents a vast potential consumer market. Strong consumer ethnocentric tendencies, driven primarily by patriotism and in reaction to political threats to Chinese sovereignty or perceived lack of corporate social responsibility, threaten to depress sales of certain brands or products from particular countries. The research findings have both theoretical and practical implications. They contribute an up-to-date insight into the consumer ethnocentric tendencies of cosmopolitan young urban Chinese and point towards steps that international corporations should take to reduce consumer ethnocentric tendencies and enhance consumer empathy towards, and interest in, their products.

show abstract

From Starbucks to Carrefour: Consumer Boycotts, Nationalism and Taste in Contemporary China

Cited by 9 publications

References 4 publications

Selling and consuming the nation: Understanding consumer nationalism

Selling and consuming the nation: Understanding consumer nationalism

Beyond ‘voting with your chopsticks’: Community organising for safe food in China

Reactionary Consumer Ethnocentrism in Urban China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About