 Symbolic consumption, signification and the 'lockout' of electric cars, 1885-1914Chris Ivory and Audley Genus Business History, 2010, vol. 52, issue 7, 1107-1122 Abstract: The paper analyses the sources of meanings attached to consumption of the early automobile to inform analysis of the lockout of electric automobiles in the UK, mindful of related developments in France, and the USA. Data are gathered from archive sources, and include social and technical histories and popular newspapers and magazines from the period investigated (1885-1914). The paper asserts that the association of the early car with specific and particular cultural meanings, as defined by class and gender, led to it becoming an untenable choice for early consumers contributing to the 'lockout' of the electric car before it had a chance to establish itself as a viable socio-technical system. The conclusion highlights the limitations of an analytical focus privileging technical accounts of lockout and identifies the contribution of the concepts of symbolic consumption and signification. Keywords: automobiles; cars; electric vehicles, lockout, signification, meaning, consumption, technology, social change, business history, (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:bushst:v:52:y:2010:i:7:p:1107-1122 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2010.523463 Access Statistics for this article Business History is currently edited by Professor John Wilson and Professor Steven Toms More articles in Business History from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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