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Work, Leisure and Consumption

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All societies are consumer societies. The production, acquisition, and consumption of commodities – tangible or otherwise – has become central to the practice of everyday life. Consumption, broadly defined, also informs our working lives as much as it does our leisure time. How has the relationship between work, leisure, and consumption changed over time?  

The strand addresses this question from the Middle Ages to the present. We invite researchers to consider these relationships in their broadest sense: examining the links between labour and leisure within and across multiple spaces, such as the workplace, the domestic sphere, and the global marketplace of exchange. Similarly, we encourage researchers to approach the topic from different perspectives, whether that be through economic and social theory, government policy, or the voices of individuals, such as, workers, business owners, and the poor.  

We also welcome papers which question the changing nature of work, how ‘work’ is defined, and how individuals and groups negotiate or balance their working lives with their social lives. Other areas researchers may like to explore include (but are not limited to) household budgets and domestic economies; standards of living; the ethics of consumption; the leisure economy; the cultural industries; social and cultural worlds of work; media, communication, and advertising; globalisation and international exchange of commodities.  

Submissions from postgraduate students are particularly welcomed. 

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