Özet:

There is a common view that considers the concept of consumption society as an epistemological and ontological break from the notion of production. According to this point of view, this break refers to a historical process involving a tendency from the production society to the consumption society; therefore, the act of producing and its impact on the social fabric have become less and less important. The role of the act of producing is substituted with that of the act of consuming. This point of view undoubtedly contradicts with the historical materialism, because it never ascribes any deterministic role to the notions of labor and labor force in the processes of production and reproduction of the material life of the human beings. The sociological approach developing the concept of consumption society emerged and became widespread after Baudrillard’s the same named work was pressed in 1970. This sociological framework mainly based on the different life styles and consumption habits of the individuals has two fundamental problems. Firstly, individuals, since they are not considered with their places in the relations of production, are only examined with their status, but not class positions. In other words, analyzing individuals by depending on only their consumption habits refers to a troubled approach in a capitalist society in which social classes exist and struggle against each other. Secondly, the troubled approach mentioned above differs the notion of consumption society not only from the act of production but also certain structural and macro-scaled economic factors. However, in this study, it is claimed that the consumption society, like any conceptual statement, cannot be analyzed independently from the main dynamics of capitalism. It is also stated that some theoretical problems emerge when the term of consumption society is conceptualized by depending on post-structural approaches. Besides, in order to solve those problems, it will not be sufficient to revise the approach; on the contrary, a total and radical rejection which can only be provided through historical materialism is needed. No matter radical or sharp, the critiques within the post-structural framework are not embraced in this study, because adoption of a break between the notion of production and that of consumption will play a role in reproduction of the dominant paradigm about the consumption society. In other words, in order to overthrow a theoretical perception which is integrated to post-modernism, it is necessary to return modernism generally and Marxism specifically. Accordingly, it is aimed to try to break the post-modern hegemony over sociological literature through a critical thinking on the concept of consumption society. In this study, the act of consumption is analyzed as an economic activity with its historical background, and the processes of capital accumulation and class struggles are also included to the analysis

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