The economy is commonly described either as the apolitical realm of calculation or as the fully political one of domination. This book scrutinizes the ways in which the economy is performed, in order to situate where precisely politics is located with regard to economic matters. Politics, the book demonstrates, thus appears at the turning point, in the place where the efficiency of economics is negotiated and where the need to forward it, reshape it, and complement it emerges. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Cultural Economy.

Most marketing scholars implicitly consider independent merchants as conservative and passive actors, and study the modernization of retailing via department stores, chains and supermarkets. In this innovative study, Franck Cochoy challenges this perspective and takes a close look at the transformation of commerce through the lens of Progressive Grocer, an American trade magazine launched in 1922.

Aimed at modernizing small independent grocery stores, Progressive Grocer sowed the seeds for modern self-service which spread in small retail outlets, sometimes well...

Contemporary consumer society is increasingly saturated by digital technology and digital communication. The devices which deliver this has made significant transformations in consumption patterns. Social media, mobile internet, smartphones, mobile apps, virtual fashion and digital retailing are merging with traditional consumption. As a result, we see this whole sphere is itself supported by the new market of digital devices. These "market devices" are significant in that they are not only consumed but are also increasingly used by consumers to consume.

This volume will explore...