Market Detachment: Breaking Social Ties in Economic Settings

This book investigates the economics of detachment, or the processes by which elements or relations in markets are removed or severed. It highlights the complexities of market attachments as both material links and subjective or affective ties, and explores the theoretical underpinnings and implications of detachment. The authors use empirical cases from various fields to explore how practices and strategies of detachment configure and 're-agence markets, provoke attitudes and dispositions of detachment, and become qualified as political.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 114 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

While the dynamics of market attachments have received extensive analysis, the concept of market detachments has been relatively overlooked. This book aims to rectify this imbalance and delve into the economies of detachment, exploring the processes by which various elements or relations within markets are removed or severed.

Market organizations and dynamics are characterized by a complex interplay of attachment, encompassing both positive and negative aspects. Recent research within the field of new economic sociology has shed light on the role of attachment in the technical, organizational, and social functions of markets. This work emphasizes the multifaceted nature of market attachments, recognizing them as both material links and subjective or affective ties. It also highlights the dynamic nature of attachment, often contingent upon its implied other: detachment.

While detachment is a well-known concept in the realm of market relations, it has received limited scholarly attention. This book seeks to address this gap by exploring key questions related to detachment. These include:

What is detachment? How does it operate? What are the theoretical underpinnings and implications of this concept?
How do practices and strategies of detachment configure and re-agence markets?
How do markets provoke attitudes and dispositions of detachment?
How do detachment strategies become qualified as political, and with what consequences?

To answer these questions, the authors in this unique collection employ an array of empirical cases, spanning various industries such as fast fashion, food supply chains, energy savings schemes, and unpackaged food. Drawing from economic sociology, science and technology studies (STS), cultural studies, politics, and consumer research, the chapters in this book shed light on the complexities, significance, and impacts of "letting go" in market configurations.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032217871