Der IKEA-Katalog als Intermediär: Zur Repräsentation kindheitsbezogener Konzepte zwischen 1980 und 2000
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Abstract
The IKEA Catalogue as Intermediary: On the Representation and Transformation of Childhood-Related Concepts (1980–2000)
This paper examines, from the perspective of convention theory, how IKEA adapted central concepts from the then-emerging New Childhood Studies in its catalogs between 1980 and 2000. The analysis included 16 German-language IKEA catalogs using a modified Justification Analysis. Results show that IKEA catalogues reflect three key concepts from childhood sociology: children’s agency, childhood as a socially structured living condition – particularly in relation to housing –, and children’s autonomous culture. While children were acknowledged as independent actors, childhood concepts were simultaneously translated into marketing strategies that transformed structural problems into individual consumer decisions. The article discusses the ambivalences of this transformation and reflects on how analyzing product catalogs as part of a quasi-public sphere not only provides insights into market strategies but also holds up a reflective mirror to childhood studies itself.
Bibliography: Grunau, Thomas: Der IKEA-Katalog als Intermediär: Zur Repräsentation kindheitsbezogener Konzepte zwischen 1980 und 2000, Discourse. Journal of Childhood and Adolescence Research, 1-2026, pp. 41-54.
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