What Happens when Cultural Theorists Fall Down a Well? Conspicuous Consumption and Water Supplies in the High Plains

• In Event: 3551 - Section on Sociology of Culture Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 2. Consumers and Consumption

Abstract

This paper examines well ownership, the normalization of watering routines, and conspicuous water consumption. It juxtaposes private water wells and municipal water supplies as different systems of water provision, while drawing from the contributions of Bourdieu and Veblen to assess cultural standards of watering. To explore whether differences in water provision effect water usage, I surveyed well owners and non-well owners throughout Kansas, a state highly reliant on groundwater (n = 864). While this research assesses the relationships between a variety of demographic variables and watering routines, it provides evidence that well ownership is a significant predictor of conspicuous consumption and can facilitate a better understanding of conspicuous and drought-time watering.

Author

• Brock Ternes, SUNY Cortland