Logic of the Absurd

Nasir, Muhammad Ali

doi:10.2753/atp1084-1806340103

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In The Castle, K., the protagonist, views the first village official Klamm as the link to the enigmatic castle. Yet, he fails to reach this first power sphere, let alone the foci of authority (cited in Nasir, 2012). Relatedly, today's consumers are enmeshed in a narrative of market-shaping, while in reality they are often held at the first semblance of any market logic (Ertimur & Coskuner-Balli, 2015).…”

Section: Findings and Discussion -Contemporary Challenges Of Consumpt...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contemporary challenges of consumption: a Kafkaesque and critical marketing perspective

Arora

2023

International Journal of Contemporary Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Markets are sites of collaboration as well as contestation between their various actors, including firms and consumers. In this respect, a narrative that consumers are more empowered than ever has been in vogue. Drawing from Kafka’s literature and philosophy and the paradigm of critical marketing, this paper argues for a broadened perspective. Design/methodology/approach Using a selective and exploratory-review approach, six dimensions of the state of today’s consumer emerge. These are subsequently assessed and developed as manifestations challenging the empowerment thesis. Findings The depiction of intense subjugation in Kafka’s fiction and the lack of agency his characters portray furnish narrative frames to view the paradoxical state of contemporary consumption. Specifically, consumer choice and sovereignty, service failures and recoveries, privacy concerns, the capitalist nexus, transformation in service provisioning modes, and frontline employees’ lowered stakes comprise six analytical frames of consumers’ lives that depict their paradoxical simultaneity of empowerment and entrapment. Originality/value The work contributes to critical marketing theory in particular and critical philosophy in general. Specifically, the proposed framework of consumption challenges depicted herein can serve as a mid-range theoretical taxonomy. The exemplar states highlighted reveal managerial and policy challenges.

show abstract

Section: Findings and Discussion -Contemporary Challenges Of Consumpt...mentioning

confidence: 99%