Consumerism and the culture of consumption: Class, national identity, and gender among Jordanian elites

The dissertation explores the consumption practices of economic elites in Amman, Jordan, with elites defined as those individuals possessing both the means and the inclination to enjoy the luxuries of a consumer lifestyle. The reciprocal influences of the purchase and use of a wide array of Western consumer products, including cars, clothing, and home furnishings, on Jordanian social organization and culture are explored. Among the questions motivating this work are the following: How does consumer behavior affect Jordanian class relations, Jordanian-Palestinian dynamics, and Jordanian cultural norms concerning normative roles for men and women? Is consumerism a force for Westernization within Jordan? How do Jordanian consumers reconcile their consumption practices with the mores of the dominant Islamic culture? In exploring these issues, the dissertation focuses both on individual instances of consumer behavior, as gleaned through interviews and participant observation of elite life, as well as on the analysis of state policies intended to promote Jordanian private sector activity. Taken as a whole, the dissertation demonstrates the relevance of the study of economic elites in Jordan not only to an understanding of the relationship between consumerism and Jordan's rapidly changing sociocultural life, but also to the development of a theory of consumer behavior that foregrounds the intersection of economic and sociocultural factors in explaining the significance of consumption practices.