Embedded-embodied consumer experiences and the limits of responsibilization theory

Purpose Critical studies within the economic and administrative sciences are increasingly paying attention to the way markets shift responsibility to consumers for societal and personal goals, referring to this process as consumer responsibilization. This article advances a new approach to responsibilization theory with the aim of overcoming some of its limitations. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual approach is used to critique dominant post-structural understandings of consumer responsibility and to advance alternative ways of thinking about responsibilization regimes that highlight the embodied and embedded experiences of responsible consumers. Findings The article suggests that responsible consumption is embodied and embedded within neoliberal social structures characterized by inherent tensions and will produce strained experiences rather than skilled and empowered neoliberal subjects. The authors underscore the need for an empirical focus on the adaptational responses of consumers to responsibilization processes. With a focus on the frictional relationship between the idealization pressures involved in responsibilization processes and the real-world consequences embodied in consumer experiences, the conceptual approach may provide new ways to advance the concept of responsibilization as a critique of neoliberal marketization. Originality/value While responsibilization theory has been gaining widespread attention, this is the first paper to critically examine its limitations and offer an embedded-embodied perspective on consumer responsibility.