Mass consumerism and ontological security

The relationship between the economy and ontological security studies (OSS) has remained underexplored. This paper seeks to rectify that by demonstrating how consumption and mass consumerism affect several dynamics related to the creation of ontological (in)security. It does so by arguing that citizens’ economic expectations are generated by a state’s position in international recognition hierarchies of mass consumerism and living standard; if fulfilled, citizens gain system trust and a sense that their social environment is stable and enduring, while the ongoing misrecognition of those economic expectations generates grievances and discontent and erodes state legitimacy. The paper therefore highlights the importance of trust, and its structural embeddedness, for processes of creating ontological security. These arguments are illustrated with two interrelated case studies – the early Cold War competition between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic – to provide a higher standard of living to their respective citizens. This paper therefore reinforces the need to further explore how transnational and global economic processes shape citizens’ everyday relationship to and perception of the state.