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Tullia Jack.

Tullia Jack

Associate senior lecturer, associate professor

Tullia Jack.

Cleanliness and consumption : exploring material and social structuring of domestic cleaning practices

Author

  • Tullia Jack

Summary, in English

In line with increasing international trends of energy efficient devices on the market and in households, domestic consumption of water and energy should be decreasing. However in Sweden, domestic per capita water consumption is not decreasing rapidly and energy consumption is actually increasing. This suggests that physical contexts are not the only factor shaping resource demand. People are also influenced by collective conventions; what we think is normal has a significant say in what we do, and the resources we consume in the course of everyday life. This paper explores the way context shapes what people do from both a material infrastructures and social infrastructures perspective, using cleanliness in Sweden as a case study. First, material infrastructures in Sweden are mapped, including device ownership, water, energy and time consumed related to cleanliness. Second, qualitative interviews with Swedish people aim to show the social structuring of cleanliness. Understanding the interplay between physical and social structures has potential implications for decreasing resource intensity in everyday life.

Department/s

  • Sociology

Publishing year

2017

Language

English

Pages

70-78

Publication/Series

International Journal of Consumer Studies

Volume

41

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Sociology

Keywords

  • social practices
  • cleanliness
  • sustainability
  • water consumption
  • energy consumption

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1470-6431