Urban Lifestyles & the Consumer Society

Pre-requisites: To successfully participate in this course knowledge of fundamentals of social theory, urban sociology and sociology of culture are needed.

Course objectives: The objective of this course is to develop critiques on contemporary urban lifestyles- the conditions, actors, ways of creating supply and demand in urban spaces (society) and the market, government and urban society.

Course description: The theoretical component of the course will focus on sociology of consumerism which identifies consumer society as the framework for an outpouring of new urban lifestyles at the end of the 20th century. The role of urban spaces as places for spending(new temples of consumerism) in context with the thesis on de-differentiation of postmodern urban society will be examined. The simultaneous standardization and differentiation of life will be brought to light as it functions both in individual and collective consumerism, along with fact that spaces in which living, working, spending and entertaining occur have become important markers of capital and identity. At the same time, the convergence of the milieu of globalized and localized spaces and rituals is evident from the phenomena that have appeared – yuppy-ism, gentrification, enclavization, carnivalization, ghettoization of certain minorities and marginalized groups. Alternative forms of consumerism (informal, «second hand», «ecological» and similar) will be questioned and analyzed, (neo)tribalism (aesthetic communities vs. politically defined communities). All subjects will be explored through research and case studies of European cities and cities in (post)socialist countries.

Learning Outcomes: Students will be capable of sociologically analyzing (theoretically and empirically as opposed to applied analysis) contemporary urban lifestyles and assessing their importance as a contributing factor in developing & changing the quality of life in urban spaces.

Literature/Reading:

• Vujović, S. I M. Petrović (2005) Urbana sociologija, ZUNS, Beograd.
• Clarke, D. (2003) The Consumer Society and the Postmodern City, Routledge, 2003.
• Zukin, S, (1998) Urban Lifestyles: Diversity and Standardisation in Spaces of Consumption, Urban Studies, vol. 35, no 5-6, 825-839.
• Florida, R (2002) Cities and the Creative Class, New York: Basic Books
• Featherstone, M. (1991) City Cultures and Post-modern Lifestyles, Consumer Cultures and Postmodernism, 1991. Sage Publication, ch.7.
• Stanilov, K. (ed) 2007 The Post-Socialist City, Springer.
• Mina Petrović, (2009) Transformacija gradova – depolitizacija urbanog pitanja, ISI FF, Beograd .
• EUROSTAT baza statističkih podataka
• URBANAUDIT baza podataka
• Petrović, M. (2008) "Istraživanje socijalnih aspekata urbanog susedstva", Sociologija, br. 1.
• Petrović, M. (2010) Potrošnja domaćinstava i socijalna diferencijacija u Srbiji 2003-2007, u S. Cvejić (ur.) Suživot sa reformama, Beograd : ISI FF, str. 125-152.
• Hirt, S. and Pertrović, M. (2011) The Belgrade wall: The proliferation of gated housing in the Serbian capital after socialism, International Journal of Urban and regional Research, Vol. 35. No. 4: 753-777
• Čaldarović Ognjen (2011), Urbano društvo na početku 21. stoljeća – osnovni sociološki procesi i dileme, Zagreb: HSD, Naklada Jasenski i Turk.
• Fajf, N. (2002) Prizori ulice, Beograd: Clio, str. 109-130; 287-309; 351-384.
• Fajf, N. (2002) Prizori ulice, Beograd: Clio, str. 109-130; 287-309; 351-384.