Towards a sociology of consumption in Malta

Abstract

Most Maltese, upon being asked to identify a key characteristic feature of the social formation they inhabit, would probably mention the relatively recent emphasis on the consumption of durable and non-durable goods. Of course, persons must consume in order to satisfy 'basic needs'. What is of sociological interest is first of all the way such 'needs' have been defined historically and cross-culturally, for there is very little which is natural or essential about the way in which modern persons consume goods and services which many consider they cannot do without. As Bocock (1992, p. 122) correctly argues, 'basic needs are not easy to specify in detail, and, in any case, they never arise outside a social, cultural, historical context'. Secondly, sociological inquiry focuses on the way the overproduction of goods in modern society generates a culture of consumerism. Thirdly, this shift in culture is interrogated in order to explore the meaning that consumption has for the consumer and for groups of consumers. All three aspects are of interest and relevance to the study of Maltese society, and each is addressed systematically in the following sections.