This book represents the first anthropological ethnography of Ikea consumption and goes to the heart of understanding the unique and at times frantic popularity of this one iconic transnational store. Based on a year of participant observation in Stockholm’s Kungens Kurva store – the largest in the world - this book places the retailer squarely within the realm of the home-building efforts of individuals in Stockholm and to a lesser degree in Dublin. Ikea, the world’s largest retailer and one of its most interesting, is the focus of intense popular fascination internationally, yet is rarely subject to in-depth anthropological inquiry. In Unpacking Ikea, Garvey explores why Ikea is never ‘just a store’ for its customers, and questions why it is described in terms of a cultural package, as everyday and classless. Using in-depth interviews with householders over several years, this ethnographic study follows the furniture from the Ikea store outwards to probe what people actually take home with them.
By:
Pauline Garvey Imprint: Routledge Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 453g ISBN:9781138793965 ISBN 10: 1138793965 Series:CRESC Pages: 174 Publication Date:28 November 2017 Audience:
College/higher education
,
Further / Higher Education
,
A / AS level
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Pauline Garvey is senior lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Maynooth University, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland.