Political Consumerism and Lifestyle Politics

Political consumerism and lifestyle activism contribute to social change in western democracies. Acts such as buying organic food, exchanging clothes, or cycling to work are part of contemporary action repertoires. Today, these forms of political participation define what it means to be a citizens. Yet, few studies question underpinning understandings of social change and democratic decision-making processes at the core of these forms of political participation. In this chapter, we ask: what are the mechanism and procedural understandings of social change associated with political consumerism and lifestyle activism? First, we discuss how these forms of participation contribute to contemporary action repertoires. Then, we analyze mechanisms associated with social changes and conceptions of collective decision-making processes. We argue that political consumerism and lifestyle activism are associated with unequal political participation and that they lack a procedural understanding of democracy that allows the inclusion of different segments of society in decision-making processes.