Consumer transits and religious identities: towards a syncretic consumer

Victoria Rodner, Chloe Preece

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Abstract

The majority of research on religious consumption assumes stable, singular and exclusive preferences, an individual is an adherent to one religion at a time and conversion is a radical break in identity. In examining a context where individuals can simultaneously practice multiple religions despite seemingly theologically incompatible beliefs, we introduce the concept of religious transit, allowing for a more processual understanding of religious identity. To do so, we draw on theories of religious capital, foregrounding the flexibility of this resource in enabling multifarious religious consumption. This is made possible by the religious leaders themselves; in highlighting shared rituals and discourses, they downplay any cognitive incongruences to allow for easy, market-mediated accessibility. By conceptualising four types of religious consumption we theorise the dynamics of consumer mobility.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)742-769
Number of pages28
JournalJournal of Marketing Management
Volume35
Issue number7-8
Early online date16 Apr 2019
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 16 Apr 2019

Keywords

  • Religious consumption
  • Consumer mobility
  • Religious capital
  • Religious transit
  • Brazil

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