Global Brands, Cosmopolitan Socialization, and Consumption: the Case of ikea and the ‘Stuff’ of Ordinary Cosmopolitanism

Abstract

Abstract In this paper we consider how the global brand ikea works as an agent of cosmopolitan socialization and shapes everyday practices of cosmopolitan consumption. Drawing on material from case study research, we consider ikea’s support of cosmopolitan consumption through its emphasis on corporate social responsibility and framing of a cosmopolitan brandscape. We argue that ikea actively works to socialize individuals toward a moral cosmopolitan view, with the aim of enlisting consumers in the co-performance of global socio-environmental responsibility. Based on our interview data, we discuss how ikea does not so much cultivate cosmopolitan outlooks as affirm existing moral and aesthetic orientations, while easing ethical consumption concerns with a socially responsible image. Further, we show how ikea conducts a subtler, practical form of socialization: shaping ordinary cosmopolitan practices – ways of doing cosmopolitanism – with sustainable ‘stuff’ and in-store activity. In this way, ikea supports the co-production of a very ordinary, if not, convenient cosmopolitanism.