Description
What insights can consumption and the everyday add to our understanding of US identity and security? This paper argues that consumption plays a crucial role in securing the American way of life during times of insecurity such as the Cold War and 9/11. By exploring everyday sites and spaces, it highlights how consumer goods, choice and freedom act as material evidence of the superiority of American capitalism, with wars against communism and terrorism being fought in and through sites of consumption such as the home and the mall. It highlights key events such as the 1959 Kitchen Debate in which Nixon and Khrushchev faced off in a model home at the American National Exhibition in Moscow- not debating nuclear capabilities and military strength but the merits of American homes, cars and kitchens, reflecting the American belief in democracy and freedom of choice in everything from washing machines to system of government. The paper also explores the proliferation of 9/11-themed commodities and the call to consume in response to the terror attacks- to go shopping, visit Disneyland and buy American cars- highlighting the link between patriotism and consumption that draws on national myths and the belief in American exceptionalism to reaffirm national identity through consumption.
