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By nuancing the politics of consumption in the context of austerity, this article highlights the rise of economic nationalism and the reconfiguration of consumer cultures at the aftermath of the global financial crisis. As it argues, in the context of Greece, three types of consumer culture have manifested; these are evoking consumption as resilience, resistance or reinforcement. This work focuses on the latter through the phenomenon of ethnocentric consumption, which is part and parcel of economic nationalism. Economic nationalism can be explored through promotion of ethnocentric consumption and is demonstrable both in the inception and constitution of nation states, but also in times of crisis. This article critically appraises ethnocentric consumption as consumption based on ethnocentric criteria (natural resources, ownership, production, manufacturing, distribution and labour force). In the context of the crisis in Greece, economic nationalism has become manifest as a solution to the national economy. The specific case chosen is a citizens' movement and its campaign for the promotion of ethnocentric consumption. A close examination of the campaign (We Consume What We Produce) reveals the historical alignment of the state's and citizens' economic interests, the reverberation of state narrative from the 1980s and exclusionary nationalism which is also used by fascists. Campaigns for ethnocentric consumption limit the creativity of consumer politics. First, this phenomena appears to be an alternative vehicle for political parties. Second, it is tied around a normative narrative of economic recovery, which is particularly mythological. Third, its overall target is to maximise competitiveness on a global scale, and finally, it demonstrates a densely dangerous relationship

Article (Accepted Version) http://sro.sussex.ac.uk Lekakis, Eleftheria J (2017) Culture jamming and brandalism for the environment: the logic of appropriation. Popular Communication, 15 (4). In late November 2015, while the launch for the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) was underway, another set of operations was happening in Paris. As part of the Brandalism project i , volunteers replaced over six hundred six-sheet posters in bus stops around the French capital with unique artwork ii . This operation employed creative tactics in both its articulation and dissemination.The Brandalism project, acting in the name of resistance to corporate control, engaged in culture jamming iii as the subversion of advertising in public spaces. By engaging in acts of discursive and material disruptions during COP21, the group aimed to promote a critique of

This chapter provides a comparative historical analysis of the evolution of political consumerism in Southern European countries (Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece), discussing the breadth of scholarship and identifying positive and negative forms of political consumerism with reference to ethical and political uses of the market. Despite the fact that political consumerism appears to be less diffuse in Southern Europe when compared with Northwestern Europe, the global financial crisis, which has had particularly serious effects in these countries, seems to have spearheaded and transformed political consumerism practices. Political consumerism in Southern Europe has recently appeared as an increasingly utilized tool for grassroots, locally based networks aiming to promote a solidarity economy. This chapter reflects on economic, political, and cultural opportunity structures and their relationship with new forms of collectivism and cooperativism, as well as on the methodological challenges this change poses for research in this area of study.

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