Extending Holt's consuming typology to encompass subject-subject relations in consumption : lessons from pet ownership

Cheetham, Fiona C. and McEachern, Morven (2013) Extending Holt's consuming typology to encompass subject-subject relations in consumption : lessons from pet ownership. Consumption, Markets and Culture, 16 (1). pp. 91-115. ISSN 1477-223X

Abstract

This paper adapts Holt’s typology of consumption practices to illuminate consumption practices within the context of British consumers and their household pets. The photo-elicitation technique, autodriving, is used to elicit stories from our participants concerning their cats and dogs. Holt’s typology provides a strong foundation for illuminating the consumption practices described in these stories. However, in order to capture the cultural meanings and social dynamics that animate these consumption practices more fully, we propose extending Holt’s framework so as to incorporate (1) the agency of the animal; (2) the incidence of literal play; and (3) the moral values underlying consuming as classification. This paper concludes with a discussion on the value of our proposed additions in relation to future cultural studies of human–animal relations and to future cultural studies of consumption in general.