Consumption Populism: How Business Leaders Use Populist Logic to Shape Consumption.
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| Title: | Consumption Populism: How Business Leaders Use Populist Logic to Shape Consumption. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Anis, Shafiullah1 (AUTHOR) Shafiullah.Anis@monash.edu, French, Juliana Angeline1 (AUTHOR) Juliana.French@monash.edu |
| Source: | Journal of Business Ethics. Jan2026, Vol. 203 Issue 1, p217-240. 24p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Affect (Psychology), Populism, Consumption (Economics), Hindutva, Neoliberalism, Business & politics |
| Abstract: | The populist turn in politics has inspired extensive scholarship across disciplines; however, the role of populist business leaders remains under-theorized. This article addresses this gap by introducing the concept of consumption populism. Drawing on Ernesto Laclau's conceptualization of populism, we examine the case of Baba Ramdev—a far-right Hindu-nationalist yoga guru turned businessman in India—who promotes neo-Swadeshi consumption populism. Our contribution lies in conceptualizing a non-essentialist understanding of consumption populism as a process of constructing "the people" without any predefined essence. This is underscored through the application of the discursive-hegemonic model of market constitution. A key contribution of this study is the development of a three-stage process model for consumption populism, illustrating how business leaders articulate and practice it through three interrelated logics: otherization, homogenization, and hegemony. These logics are enacted via three distinct practices: mobilizing affect, creating spectacles, and posing impossible demands. Additionally, we explore the critical role of affect in constructing collective populist identity. The article also examines the ethical implications of exclusionary consumption populism on vulnerable consumers, interrogates the role of neo-liberal business elites in perpetuating these dynamics, and considers the possibilities of a non-exclusionary form of consumption populism where antagonism is replaced with an agonistic logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Business Ethics is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 190547121 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Consumption Populism: How Business Leaders Use Populist Logic to Shape Consumption. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anis%2C+Shafiullah%22">Anis, Shafiullah</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> Shafiullah.Anis@monash.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22French%2C+Juliana+Angeline%22">French, Juliana Angeline</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> Juliana.French@monash.edu</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Business+Ethics%22">Journal of Business Ethics</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 203 Issue 1, p217-240. 24p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affect+%28Psychology%29%22">Affect (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Populism%22">Populism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consumption+%28Economics%29%22">Consumption (Economics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hindutva%22">Hindutva</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neoliberalism%22">Neoliberalism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Business+%26+politics%22">Business & politics</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The populist turn in politics has inspired extensive scholarship across disciplines; however, the role of populist business leaders remains under-theorized. This article addresses this gap by introducing the concept of consumption populism. Drawing on Ernesto Laclau's conceptualization of populism, we examine the case of Baba Ramdev—a far-right Hindu-nationalist yoga guru turned businessman in India—who promotes neo-Swadeshi consumption populism. Our contribution lies in conceptualizing a non-essentialist understanding of consumption populism as a process of constructing "the people" without any predefined essence. This is underscored through the application of the discursive-hegemonic model of market constitution. A key contribution of this study is the development of a three-stage process model for consumption populism, illustrating how business leaders articulate and practice it through three interrelated logics: otherization, homogenization, and hegemony. These logics are enacted via three distinct practices: mobilizing affect, creating spectacles, and posing impossible demands. Additionally, we explore the critical role of affect in constructing collective populist identity. The article also examines the ethical implications of exclusionary consumption populism on vulnerable consumers, interrogates the role of neo-liberal business elites in perpetuating these dynamics, and considers the possibilities of a non-exclusionary form of consumption populism where antagonism is replaced with an agonistic logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Business Ethics is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=190547121 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1007/s10551-025-06067-w Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 24 StartPage: 217 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Affect (Psychology) Type: general – SubjectFull: Populism Type: general – SubjectFull: Consumption (Economics) Type: general – SubjectFull: Hindutva Type: general – SubjectFull: Neoliberalism Type: general – SubjectFull: Business & politics Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Consumption Populism: How Business Leaders Use Populist Logic to Shape Consumption. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Anis, Shafiullah – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: French, Juliana Angeline IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Text: Jan2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 01674544 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 203 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Business Ethics Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
