[movimenti.bicocca] citizen-consumers and transformation of …

The Committee for Political Sociology (CPS) is extending its call for
papers for the American Political Science Association congress, 28-31
August 2008 in Boston.

Processes of individualization are no new phenomenon and the tension
between the public and the private spheres of action has been explored
in the past. However, since the 1980s, we are noticing a
transformation of the forms of collective action and engagement in the
public sphere. In the UK, the figure of the citizen-consumer has
become dominant in public policy with far reaching consequences on
mobilization and public participation. In the US, alienation from
traditional (and national) politics means that concern for the civic
good and public life often translate in local/community/religious
investment whilst political efficacy and legitimacy are associated
with individualized/privatized forms of action (including consumer
activism). To what extent are trends identified in the US and the UK
precursors of developments in other contexts? What is the impact on
political participation of the discourse of "enlightened self-
interest" and the citizen-consumer? Is the privatization of collective
action contributing to transform conceptions of the political?

We are looking for papers that consider how the changing nature of
political mobilization is affected by the shifting boundaries of the
public and the private spheres. We welcome comparative approaches and
those paying attention to the cultural and political context. Deadline
for submission of abstracts: January 4th, 2008. Please address all
enquiries and abstracts to Florence Faucher-King: florence.faucher-king@???