Theories of social practice as a lens for studying consumption
Science and Practice, Topic 3 Michal Sedlako
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Outline of the session what is practice? theory of social
practices definition, components examples of Nordic walking,
driving, air conditioning trajectories of social practices trends
in our modern lives social practices and sustainability
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What do we mean by practice? is it training? achieving mastery
requires a lot of practice
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What do we mean by practice? is it realisation of theory or
plan? but will this work in practice?
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What do we mean by practice? is it analytical emphasis on
situated activity? what is really going on? how do people go about
doing what they do?
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What do we mean by practice? socially regulated, typified,
routinised form of bodily conduct (...) containing specific forms
of knowledge, know-how, interpreting, motivation and emotion
(Reckwitz) nexus of doings and sayings (Schatzki) it is the
practice that matters!
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Practices and consumption most practices require and entail
consumption consumption in itself is not a practice but is rather a
moment in every practice: shopping is an obvious example but think
about the consumption implications of going out, biking, having a
massage, hot- rodding a car or turning on the air conditioning
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How to look at practice as doing (activity as when stuff
happens; a continuous collective accomplishment; a performance) as
socially situated (practices and their contexts are co-constituted)
as micro-level (concrete bodily actions in specific social sites)
as social (existence of practice relies on shared understanding,
i.e. knowledge that is social even when carried out alone) as
historical (were put in place at some point in time, are changing)
as locally appropriated (in every new context, the practice need to
reinvent itself) as having replaceable actors (practices do not
change automatically when actors are changed) as constitutive both
of larger structures (e.g. organisations, families, states,
discourses) and of subjects as iterations that are somewhat stable
but can change with every repetition
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Components of social practices (1)materials: artefacts (and
their accessibility!) bodies spaces (2) competence: practical
knowledge experience general understanding theoretical knowledge
(3)social meaning: subjectivities such as emotions, goals,
identities roles and positions: theorists and technicians,
conservatives and radicals, generalists and specialists,
visionaries and followers, the professional and the amateur,
insiders, regulars, tourists and strangers shared values and
discourses components need to be linked to form new practices
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practice as nexus of doings and sayings (and as a linkage
between its components) persists in time by being carried out a
practice consists of variant (and more or less typified) sequences
of actions, i.e. individual doings and sayings ABCD BDC AEBC
practices produce (enact) macro-categories such as organisations,
families, states, discourses and that appear as stable practices
produce subjects, i.e. interests, identities, motivations that also
appear as stable components of practice can change through the
carrying out of practice: bodily dispositions are developed,
artefacts are produced...
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Nordic walking as a social practice (Shove and Pantzar
2005)
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Shove and Pantzar paper 1.What two different practices of
walking with sticks were there before the introduction of Nordic
walking? What were their components? 2.What work needed to be done
by the system builders to (a) modify existing components of
practices of walking with sticks, (b) develop new components of
practices, (c) link old and/or new components into a new practice
of Nordic walking? 3.In Finland, what social group was targeted
with this new practice of Nordic walking? With what trajectory did
the practice spread in Finland, and how did it change through its
spreading? 4.How was Nordic walking reinvented in the UK (Germany,
USA, Japan)? How was its trajectory through the society
different?
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Establishment of Nordic walking in Finland Two practices of
walking with sticks before Nordic walking (i.e. before 2000):
skiing sticks, rugged paths, hilly areas, boots, map walking stick,
flat and safe area (road) fanatic athleticism, reward, stimulation,
challenge frailty (the infirm, injured, old), calm, relaxed,
reconvalescence practitioners: top-form skiers training for the
winter season sport competence (skiing, hiking), endurance,
orientation normal walking competence, sensitivity to ones failing
body practitioners: people who are too frail to walk without aid 1
2 ? ? ? practitioners: ? Attempts at stabilisation of Nordic
walking as a distinct practice, conflicts and resistances
(20002001):
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Let us think of an example
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practices of car use: what are the individual practices within
practices of car use? what are examples of the individual
activities within these practices and their sequences (i.e. the
doings and sayings)? what components do these practices include?
(i.e. materials, meanings, competences) what identities do they
produce? (hobbyist old-timer collector, weekend elderly driver,
reckless young driver, professional taxi driver, passenger, racing
navigator, reviewer for a car magazine, racing fan, garage
owner...) what larger entities and effects do they (help) produce?
(traffic, drivers, automobile clubs, accident statistics,
relationships between the public and traffic police...)
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Let us think of an example different practices of car use:
touring, commuting, off- road sports, hot-rodding, collecting...
history of motoring in the UK is in part a story of social class
differentiation, emerging as an upper class amusement which
diffused to sections of the middle class between the two world wars
establishment of motoring as a dominant mode of transport in the UK
was a conjunctural effect of the class composition of early owners
of cars who, through the motoring organisations that they
patronised, had the capacity to exercise political influence over
the shape of traffic regulation and infrastructural provision
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Let us think of an example
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practices of air conditioning: what are the individual
practices within practices of air conditioning? what components do
these practices include? (i.e. materials, meanings, competences)
what larger entities and effects do they (help) produce?
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Trends in modern lives: Multiplication and diversification of
practices
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Trends in modern lives: Intensification of time use (busyness,
efficiency)
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Trends in modern lives: Simultaneous and multiple
consumption
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Sustainable consumption seen from the perspective of practice:
How can we establish new practices that are sustainable? How can we
win over practitioners from various social groups? How can we
modify existing practices so that they become more sustainable? How
can we keep existing practitioners? How can we eliminate
unsustainable practices? How to prevent practitioners from
practicing? Products, infrastructure, lifestyles, values,
information and awareness, images and meanings, skills all of this
should be looked at from the perspective of practice!
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Trajectories of social practices in short, trajectory of a
social practice refers to: how does a newly established social
practice spread throughout the society (recruit practitioners from
various social groups) and how does it transform throughout the
process and, possibly, eventually disappear
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Trajectory of social practices ? ?? ? ?? time 0
practitioners:... time 1 practitioners:... ?
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Different social groups a social group emerges around a shared
set of practices (both carried out individually and shared
afterwards, such as reading, and carried out collectively, such as
playing or watching football) communities of practice members of a
social group share: particular problems and preferences
(subjectivities) particular perceptions and norms (social meanings)
particular jargon, understanding and skills (competences)
particular magazines, internet fora and tools (artefacts) examples:
mothers, drivers, skiers, matchbox collectors understanding the
spreading of practice through society as a trajectory of a
particular practice through various social groups (in the process,
the practice can change too)
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Back to Nordic walking Nordic walking spreading in Finland
(after 2001): Nordic walking sticks, easy paths in nature,
sport/walking shoes Nordic walking stick, flat (as well as hilly)
surface mild fitness, health, nature enjoyment, fun non-adrenalin
sport, promotion and preservation of health and wellbeing
practitioners: hobby athletes, hiking enthusiasts special Nordic
walking technique, light endurance practitioners: 40+ people who
want to preserve their health FI UK practitioners: ? Nordic walking
in the process of stabilisation in the UK (around 2004):
practitioners: families, people wanting to do something for their
health while enjoying nature, just about anybody
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Air conditioning: the starting puzzle between 1962 and 1992,
the percentage of American homes with air-conditioning grew from
12% to 64% how did it happen? how come that people (either those
who already have it or the % of homes) dont give up air
conditioning, i.e. there is lack of backward movement? how can we
explain the trajectory of AC?
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Explanation 1: the meaning of practice or technology was
redefined over time and thus became acceptable for larger parts of
the population fashionable objects of desire rational or functional
reasons Pantzars (1997) explanation of symbolic trajectories of the
telephone, computer, car and TV routinisation (no reason needed at
all) even when the design of the technology is stable, their social
meaning is changing (i.e. their social positioning, messages they
embody and detail of differentiation)
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resistance: air conditioning causes colds air conditioning is
for the weak and indolent air conditioning in Japan: modernity
distinctively Western lifestyle air conditioning in US: health
cleanliness family togetherness
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Explanation 2: practitioners adapt (appropriate) the practice
so it better fits the meanings, materials and competences they are
used to users they integrate the technology (product, artefact)
into their practices AND adapt their practices to the new
technology: appropriation, domestication example: people
consequently opened and closed windows in ways that made no
thermo-dynamic sense (to the engineers who designed AC) but that
were consistent with what they had always done emergent practice
seeks high compatibility with previous meanings and competences of
social groups (see also the Nordic walking example) example:
introduction of London congestion charge (Shove & Walker 2010):
practices are always unstable, dynamic and emergent (prediction is
difficult) example: technology is designed for extreme events (e.g.
oven is big enough to hold turkey, happens once a year) but over
time previously extreme situations become normal and new extremes
are set, thus new capacity is required: normalisation
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Explanation 3: the practice becomes integrated (practically and
symbolically interdependent) with other apparently isolated
practices (into bundles of practices) example of such
interdependence is lifestyle: living in a Western country in an
area with hot climate large house substantial income number of cars
AND air conditioning go together another example is how past
consumption choices and investments enable and constrain future
possibilities (path dependence, also critical consumption choices)
then you cannot really go back to the state of not having an
AC
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Explanation 4: the practice co-evolves with its contextual
socio-technical system... when the system becomes dominant
(landscape) the practice will too air-conditioned buildings do not
need overhanging eaves or verandas by omitting these elements
American designers were able to offset the additional cost of
cooling by AC but without verandas etc. new houses required AC to
make them comfortable result: technology is built into the
architecture of the home prac tice A M M S S C C socio-technical
system (infrastructure, regulations...) prac tice A M M S S C C
socio-technical system (infrastructure, regulations...) prac tice A
M M S S C C socio-technical system (infrastructure,
regulations...)
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Another example: showering (Shove & Walker 2010) artefacts:
tiles, screens, curtains, shower design, soap, shower gels, loofah
prac tice A A M M S S C C socio-technical system (infrastructure,
regulations...) socio-technical system (infrastructure,
regulations...) STS: reliable supplies of water and electricity,
development in plumbing, sanitation regulations, dedicated space in
house design, social norms of cleanliness and hygiene meanings:
from morality and propriety to freshness, invigoration and
relaxation integration with other practices into bundles: morning
ritual, hygiene practices how often (how much, by how many people)
a given practice is going to be carried out how a practice is going
the be carried out (the active role of practitioners) what impact
on sustainability will the given practice have
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Explanation 5: different practices conflict/compete in their
time and space demands for individual bodies, compete for
practitioners Rpke 2009: practices search their bodies (i.e. try to
recruit practitioners) and thus they compete for practitioners
increasing busyness of daily life and intensity of time use what
are the spatial-temporal demands of individual social
practices?
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Preparation of short presentations (for tomorrow) preparation
for seminar papers (do it in couples) tasks: 1.choose an
intervention that: (i) aims to foster sustainable consumption, (ii)
was already introduced somewhere, or is a possibility, (iii)
examples: a policy measure, newly developed technology,
advertisement, training... 2.think of a social practice that falls
under our definition of consumption and that is affected by the
intervention; try to describe the social practice (see pt. 1 in
seminar papers) 3.think of the possible avenues of explanation
presentation should be about 67 minutes long
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Seminar papers deadline for electronic submission: 21 May 2014
[email protected] (I will confirm I received the e-mail, otherwise
please resend it) [email protected] length: 3.500 words authors: 2
persons central theme: Making X-ing more sustainable, or Stopping
unsustainable X-ing, or Introducing sustainable X-ing,... When we
look at consumption as social practice(s), how can we explain real
effects or predict potential effects of a specific intervention (a
policy measure, technology, advertisement...) that aims to foster
sustainable consumption? How does the intervention affect (or fail
to affect) the form and trajectory of given social
practice(s)?
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How to construct your seminar papers 1.Description of the
social practice that you will analyse and its (un)sustainability:
(A) What is the practice that is the object of your analysis? What
are its components? (Go for a thick description, choose components
that you find relevant, try to provide some historical background.)
(B) What are the sustainability implications of the practice, what
is the problem? (Try using some quantitative data in support of
your argument.) 2.Description of the intervention (a policy
measure, technology, advertisement...) that you will analyse: When
was it introduced, by whom, with what purpose? Who was exposed, at
what scale was the intervention introduced? 3.Description of the
effect of the intervention on the practice and its
(un)sustainability: (A) How does the intervention affect the
practice? Does it modify the practice e.g. does it change its
components (meanings, materials, competences)? Or is perhaps the
goal of the intervention to create new practices or prevent some
existing practices? How does it affect the potential trajectory of
practices? (Choose and combine explanations and apply them to your
particular case.) (B) What are the sustainability effects of the
new practices, modified practices or prevented practices? How
successful was the intervention in achieving sustainability? (Try
using some quantitative data in support of your argument.)
4.Summary assessment of the intervention with SWOT analysis: What
are the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the
intervention when it is applied on a particular social
practice?
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Some guiding questions to help hypothesise the effects of
intervention How might the changes introduced by the intervention
be appropriated by practitioners? How might the practitioners adapt
the new materials or meanings to innovative uses? How does the
change in practices cause further change in socio-technical
systems? What social groups are most compatible with newly
established practice? Can the members of that social group use
their existing competences? If not, how do they acquire new
competences? Can the members of that social group use available
materials? If not, and the practice requires new materials, are
they accessible? How is the new meaning generated? With whose help,
and through what channels is it disseminated? How are the new
meanings more acceptable to the members of the social group (than
the old ones)? How will the change in practice travel from one
group to the next? How will the practice change in the process of
its spreading? How well does the change in practice fit with other,
related practices carried out by the practitioners? (e.g. as part
of lifestyles) What practices does the change in practice compete
with both in time and in space?