Spanning experience in Britain, France, Germany (GDR and FRG), Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, the USA and Malaysia, this book sets out to examine the question of ‘Who speaks for the consumer?’ (p. 1). The eleven chapters derive from contributions to the international colloquium Au nom du consommateur, held in Paris in 2004. (An eponymous French publication also showcases all twenty-four of the colloquium papers.) The book's subtitle Associations and Professionals in Consumer Society is an essential modifier, for here, as elsewhere, actual consumers remain elusive, but by targeting so-called ‘expert consumers’ the collection signifies a determined attempt to move closer to the consumers’ domain. The Expert Consumer bears witness to a growing academic consensus that consumer consciousness must move from the periphery of historical scholarship to the foreground, to become a matter of ‘transcription’ rather than ‘ascription’ (p. 2). Through its close consideration of those individuals, discourses and entities charged...
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A 2008 study studied this question.