What did you do in the Great Paradigm War? Notes from the other side

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the author’s involvement in the paradigm wars of the 1980s in marketing and consumer research. In this paper, the author describes his role in the ecological succession of the discipline at a critical juncture between the early efforts of the pioneering scholars and the establishment of a mature climax community of consumer culture theorists.

Design/methodology/approach

The author employs an autobiographical approach.

Findings

Among the many contributions of a host of talented and insightful fellow travelers, the author’s penchant for ethnographic research and anthropological analysis helped nudge the discipline into interesting new niches.

Originality/value

This personal reminiscence of the philosophical debates surrounding our interpretive turn may be triangulated with others to construct a synchronic account of a moment in disciplinary evolution.

Citation

Sherry, J. (2014), "What did you do in the Great Paradigm War? Notes from the other side", Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 405-413. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-11-2013-0063