Making Love in Supermarkets
From The Theory of Shopping by Daniel Miller
Presented by Deanna Miller
Background Information
• Daniel Miller
– Anthropologist
– Most closely related with studies in material
culture and materialism
– Wrote The Theory of Shopping in 1998
– Other publications include Material Cultures
and The Dialectics of Shopping
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Types of Shopping Relationships
• Couples
• Families
• Teenagers
• Singles
– Elderly
– Single Mothers
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The Anthropologist Beyond
Voyeurism
• Two differing viewpoints:
– Majorie Devault, Feeding the Family
• Bulk of housewife decision making oriented towards others
• Inequity and self-sacrifice
– Brad Weiss, The Making and Unmaking of the Haya Lived
World
• Sought to demonstrate moral and cosmological world objectified
view in feeding family
• Author leaned more towards Weiss (conventional)
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4
The Treat
• Seen as a direct reward
to shopping
• Given to children as a
reward for being good
while shopping
– Candy
– Trip to toy store
– Fast food
• Control of expenditure
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Thrift
• By far the most
important activity in
shopping
• Three different types of
savers
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The Exception
• Mary is a single mother with children
• Exhibits a lack of guilt and anxiety
• Made as much time and money available for shopping
• Does not see herself as thrifty
• Shops for love and sex in supermarkets
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The Discourse of Shopping
• Does not believe love automatically comes shining
through
• Whenever Miller asked a person about shopping, the
experience of shopping studied is not the one actually
done
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Discussion Questions
• Did you agree with Weiss or DeVault about their
interpretations of their study? Why or why not?
• Do you think that Miller chose to follow the right
anthropological approach? Why or why not?
• How do you feel about Sheila and Bob’s concept of
borrowing from their son’s fund provided by his
grandparents to buy him expensive football uniforms
to fit in with his friends?
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