Browsing by Author "Firat, A. Fuat"

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Citation - WoS: 9
Citation - Scopus: 12
Disenchantment With Market Society: Alternative Life Experiences
(Wiley, 2020) Ati̇k, Deniz; Firat, A. Fuat; Ozgun, Aras; Uzunoglu, Ebru
Consumption practices that are environmentally and socially more conscious have been studied previously; however, consumers who entirely reject market society and the ideologies associated with it in search for alternatives have received little attention. The participants in this study have had the means to enjoy all of the privileges of market society, yet chose to drop out of their well-paid corporate positions in search of more meaningful lives. A framework to understand their motivations for this choice, the alternatives they present, and the challenges they face is developed through a qualitative inquiry using in-depth interviews, secondary data sources and observation. To these individuals, living in market society represents an eventually dreaded path leading to a vast emptiness, contrarily their departure appears to be a decision of choosing life. In their alternative lives, they find meaning in sharing with and helping others, also through an existence with, not against nature. Choosing to have only occasional marketplace interactions, they exhibit a willingness to exist within and navigate multiple organizations of life, even if preference for the one experimented with is strong. The practices of such members of society show potentials for greater change to alleviate the shortcomings of a solely market-driven way of life.
Citation - WoS: 11
Citation - Scopus: 22
Fashion, Consumer Markets, and Democratization
(Wiley, 2022) Ati̇k, Deniz; Cavusoglu, Lena; Ertekin, Zeynep; Firat, A. Fuat
Previous research illustrates several attempts that consumers have made to create new markets when marketing organizations have not responded to their desires; however, individual efforts alone are insufficient to assure success in having voices heard. The effectiveness of these efforts heavily depends on the democratization of institutions. Discussions regarding the democratization of fashion have had some historical appeal in academia and popular media. However, an incomplete appraisal of democracy may have led to premature conclusions regarding fashion's democratization. Affirming that democracy requires acceptance of differences and empowerment of different groups as a principle, this study conceptually and critically examines the history of the outcomes of fashion consumers' attempts to have their voices heard and assesses the degree of democratization of the fashion market. Our research contributes to prior debates regarding the democratization of fashion by reviewing the pivotal chronological events in fashion history. Contrary to some previous views, it shows that diffusion of fashion to larger consumer segments across history does not automatically imply democratization of fashion, which has been greatly limited despite the potentials presented by the advents of sustainable fashion and digitalization in contemporary times. We conclude that the cycle of fashion becoming a principle of economic interest is largely the culprit for retarding democratization, and we offer reflections for key stakeholders in order to have a more democratic, sustainable, and inclusive fashion system.