The topic of this dissertation is the constructed and located self. It represents a year of field work in Metro Manila among young adult Filipinos, ages seventeen through 26. The identities being constructed are firmly rooted in consumer culture, and a shopping mall.
In this study, identity construction is about experience more than expression. And, place is shown to be central to the experience of identity. According to Craig Calhoun (2000), identities are sources of meaning. This study looks at the sources of meanings used to construct identities.
It also argues that identities are more substantive than Calhoun’s definition suggests. This study demonstrates that identities are experienced within the self. But, they are more than meaningful notions of self. Identities are located. They are experienced in specific times and places. I argue that place is central to identity, and is as meaningful as the identities themselves.
In a conflict perspective, consumer culture is portrayed as a powerful westernizing force being spread by globalization. But this study uses symbolic interactionism as a theoretical framework. It does not ask, “How has consumer culture shaped the identities of young Filipinos living in Metro Manila?” Rather, this study asks, “How do the young Filipinos construct identities and places meaningful enough to call ‘home’?”
At the level of research design, this study is not a cross-cultural comparison. But, it does depend upon the logic of comparison. The respondents of this study and their parents are active participants in consumer culture. But, different from their parents, the lives of these young adults reflect consumer culture more intensely. The reason for this is that the respondents actually construct their identities in a shopping mall using the elements of consumer culture. Some of these elements are computers in the internet cafes (that facilitate connectivity), movies (that portray beautiful lives), fashion trends (store window displays), and restaurants that feature cuisine from other parts of the world. These elements provide motivations and justifications for consumption rather than production which were strong in the everyday lives of their parents.
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