TY - GEN
T1 - "When your dog matches your decor"
T2 - Object agency of living and non-living entities in home assemblage
AU - Syrjälä, Henna
AU - Norrgrann, Anu
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Purpose: This chapter examines two rather extreme examples of non-human entities in home assemblage, interior objects, and companion animals, and how their agency appears distributed with human consumers in assembling home. The authors aim at drawing conceptual contrasts and overlappings in how agency expresses itself in these categories of living and non-living entities, highlighting the multifaceted manifestations of object agency. Methodology/Approach: This chapter employs multiple sets of ethnographi-cally inspired data, ranging from ethnographic interviews and an autoethno-graphic diary to three types of (auto-)netnographic data. Findings: The findings showcase oscillation of agency between these three analytic categories (human, non-human living, and non-human non-living), focusing on how it is distributed between two of the entities at a time, within the heterogeneous assemblage of home. Furthermore, the findings show instances in which agency emerges as shared between all three entities. Originality/Value: The contribution of this chapter comes from advancing existing discussion on object agency toward the focus on distributed and shared agency. The research adds to the prevailing discussion by exhibiting how agency oscillates between different types of interacting entities in the assemblage, and in particular, how the two types of non-human entities are agentic. The research demonstrates the variability and interwovenness of non-human and human, living and non-living agency as they appear intertwined in home assemblage.
AB - Purpose: This chapter examines two rather extreme examples of non-human entities in home assemblage, interior objects, and companion animals, and how their agency appears distributed with human consumers in assembling home. The authors aim at drawing conceptual contrasts and overlappings in how agency expresses itself in these categories of living and non-living entities, highlighting the multifaceted manifestations of object agency. Methodology/Approach: This chapter employs multiple sets of ethnographi-cally inspired data, ranging from ethnographic interviews and an autoethno-graphic diary to three types of (auto-)netnographic data. Findings: The findings showcase oscillation of agency between these three analytic categories (human, non-human living, and non-human non-living), focusing on how it is distributed between two of the entities at a time, within the heterogeneous assemblage of home. Furthermore, the findings show instances in which agency emerges as shared between all three entities. Originality/Value: The contribution of this chapter comes from advancing existing discussion on object agency toward the focus on distributed and shared agency. The research adds to the prevailing discussion by exhibiting how agency oscillates between different types of interacting entities in the assemblage, and in particular, how the two types of non-human entities are agentic. The research demonstrates the variability and interwovenness of non-human and human, living and non-living agency as they appear intertwined in home assemblage.
KW - 512 Business and Management
KW - object agency
KW - assemblage
KW - non-human entity
KW - pets
KW - home
KW - ethnography
UR - https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/Consumer-Culture-Theory/?k=9781787542860
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063594907&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/S0885-211120190000020006
DO - 10.1108/S0885-211120190000020006
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 978-1-78754-286-0
T3 - Research in Consumer Behavior
SP - 39
EP - 54
BT - Consumer Culture Theory
A2 - Bajde, Domen
A2 - Kjeldgaard, Dannie
A2 - Belk, Russel W.
PB - Emerald
CY - Bingley, United Kingdom
ER -