Abstract
Through a naturalistic inquiry, we interpret shopping malls in India as post-colonial sites in which young consumers deploy the West in an attempt to transform their Third World identities. Shopping malls in former colonies represent a post-colonial hybridity that offers consumers the illusion of being Western, modern, and developed. Moreover, consumption of post-colonial retail arenas is characterised as a masquerade through which young consumers attempt to disguise or temporarily transcend their Third World realities. This interpretation helps us to offer insights into transitioning retail servicescapes of the Third World, which in turn helps to improve extant understanding of consumer identity and global consumer culture.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 62-84 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Journal of Marketing Management |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2012 |
Keywords
- consumer culture
- consumer identity
- post-colonialism
- shopping malls
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Strategy and Management
- Marketing