Economic Nationalism and the Cultural Politics of Consumption in Austerity Contexts: The Rise of Ethnocentric Consumption in Greece

By nuancing the politics of consumption in the context of austerity, this paper highlights the rise of economic nationalism and the reconfiguration of consumer cultures at the aftermath of the global financial crisis. As it argues, in the context of Greece, three types of consumer cultures have manifested evoking consumption as resilience, resistance, or reinforcement. This work focuses on the later which is discussed as ethnocentric consumption, which is part and parcel of economic nationalism. This is demonstrable in the inception and constitution of nation states, but also in times of crisis. Economic nationalism can be currently located in promotion of ethnocentric consumption. This paper critically appraises the phenomenon which is evident in the promotion of consumption based on ethnocentric criteria (natural resources, ownership, production, manufacturing, distribution and labour force). In the context of the Greek crisis, economic nationalism has become manifested as a solution to the