Table of Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Author Biographies

Introduction

Power, Politics and Unsustainable Consumption

Lucie Middlemiss, Cindy Isenhour, Mari Martiskainen

Section I: On Political Economy and Sustainable Consumption

Manisha Anantharaman, Emily Huddart Kennedy, Lucie Middlemiss and Sarah Bradbury

Index

About the Author

Cindy Isenhour is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and in the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, USA.

Mari Martiskainen is a Research Fellow at Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex, UK

Lucie Middlemiss is Associate Professor in Sustainability, and Co-director of the Sustainability Research Institute, in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, UK.

Reviews

"This timely, accessible, and thought-provoking collection brings together leading scholars to deftly explore the systems and norms keeping us on pathways to social and ecological disintegration. It is a vital reminder that there are no easy wins when it comes to changing production and consumption patterns, with the authors facing key challenges head-on. An essential read for policy makers, change agents, business leaders, and researchers alike." -- Kersty Hobson, University of Cardiff, UK"The authors of this book do not flinch from asking the hardest questions about the causes of climate change, the defining crisis of our time. They move the discussion of consumption and sustainability forward in new and important directions and challenge a lot of the accepted wisdom. Essential reading for anyone searching for ways to promote a more sustainable kind of consumer culture." -- Richard Wilk, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Indiana University, and Director of the Open Anthropology Institute, USA"This is a bold and engaging book that tells it like it is: research, policy and practice in sustainable consumption have failed to take power, politics and social difference seriously. And in answer to this claim is offered a set of theoretically and empirically rich chapters by leading experts from around the world that critically interrogate a wide range of intersecting themes at multiple levels. It is exactly the kind of collection needed to shake up this emerging interdisciplinary field." -- Sherilyn MacGregor, Sustainable Consumption Institute and Politics Department, The University of Manchester, UK"This book studies the trajectories of increasing household debt in the contexts of the USA, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Norway. The author examines remedies to prevent and alleviate the over-indebtedness “epidemic,” creating a conceptual framework with which to analyse the causes and consequences of debt. Hiilamo calls for and outlines social policies to tackle the current borrowing crisis that endangers and prevents the full participation in society of individuals with excessive debts."- L. A. Reisch and F. C. Doebbe, Book Notes "Economics and Social Sciences", Journal of Consumer Policy