Course: SOC1001F (2025) - Introduction to Sociology
Lecture 9: Focus on Conspicuous Consumption
Instructor: Prof. Jeremy Seekings
Industrialisation Period: Marked by wealth concentration among super-rich individuals:
Key Figures:
Andrew Carnegie: Steel
Cornelius Vanderbilt: Railways
John D. Rockefeller and JP Morgan: Finance
Cultural Era: Referred to as the 'Gilded Age', known for its overt extravagance.
Recommended Video: PBS documentary on this era - Watch Here
Context: Reflects societal norms of conspicuous consumption in the 1920s.
Watch the Party Scene: 2013 adaptation highlights excess - Watch Here
Theoretical Framework - Thorstein Veblen:
Notable Work: Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)
Focus: How wealth is spent rather than how it is earned.
Concepts Introduced:
Conspicuous Leisure: Wealth displayed through leisure time activities.
Conspicuous Consumption: Displaying wealth through buying goods as a status symbol.
Aspirational Consumption: Lower classes emulate the consumption patterns of the upper classes to attain social standing:
Veblen's Argument: The upper class sets social standards that influence lower classes, creating a cycle of aspiration.
Normative Behavior: Lower classes strive to mimic lifestyle choices of higher statuses to maintain social reputation.
Veblen on Dress:
Principle of conspicuous expensiveness in garments: Clothes that reveal signs of manual labor are considered undesirable.
Neat, spotless garments are symbolic of leisure and wealth—divorced from industrial labor.
Posel and Van Wyk's View: Suggests Veblen's insights remain relevant in modern capitalism where the working class aspires to emulate, rather than revolt against, the bourgeoisie.
Contemporary Context: Are South Africans currently more focused on consumerism than revolutionary change?
Focus Areas: Examining patterns of consumption around cars, cattle, and clothing:
Video Resource: Cars, Cattle and Clothes
Vehicle Ownership as Status:
Patrice Motsepe's BMW760 Li: A symbol of wealth and social standing.
Interpretation: BMW = “Black Man's Worry” or “Be My Wife”.
Duduzane Zuma: Preference for high-status vehicles like a Porsche 911 turbo, which symbolizes wealth, but also controversy due to legal issues.
Amanda DuPont's McLaren: Highlights luxury and aspirational consumption in women.
Cultural Significance: Cattle ownership historically signifies wealth and social cohesion in South African society:
Discuss how the narrative of traditional wealth contrasts with modern concepts of consumption.
Johannes Jeske's Analysis (2016):
Cattle and cars as symbols of wealth elucidate the moralities surrounding wealth in South Africa.
Shift in spending patterns: From investment in cattle (social cohesion) to cars (individualistic status).
Cars symbolize success, independence and may disrupt traditional kinship obligations.
Social Dynamics: Individuals with assets manage claims made by kin and community; evolving expectations highlight a changing social fabric:
Decreased support for distant kin.
Increased individualism resulting in reduced communal obligations.
Research indicates growth in private housing choices to minimize kinship claims.
I’khotane Phenomenon: Youth from low-income families showcase status through luxury clothing:
Engaging in extreme acts such as wearing and burning high-end goods to display wealth.
Links to Veblen's concepts of conspicuous consumption and emulation suggest a reinvigoration of these ideas in modern societal contexts.
Further Reading: Explored through Mnisi's work on youth culture and consumption.