Aliakbar Jafari | University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Aliakbar Jafari
Marketing Theory , 2023
This commentary section presents a dialogical discussion on Appau's (2021) "Toward a divine econo... more This commentary section presents a dialogical discussion on Appau's (2021) "Toward a divine economic system", an article in which he explores religious exchanges in the context of a Pentecostal Church in Ghana and proposes "the divine economy" as an alternative economic system to interrogate and extend scholarship on the relationship between the market and religion. In a thought-provoking conversation, four commentators (including Appau) engage in a critical discussion aimed at generating new ideas on theorizing the complex relationship between the market, consumption, and religion.
Journal of Business Research , 2022
Drawing on insights from the sociology of markets, we offer an analytical review of market system... more Drawing on insights from the sociology of markets, we offer an analytical review of market system dynamics (MSD) in consumer culture theory (CCT) research. We surface important theoretical gaps in current understanding and suggest future research areas. To extend the breadth and depth of MSD’s explanatory power in CCT research, we invite researchers to place greater emphasis on exploring four key issues: (1) differing institutional contexts and their influences on market dynamics; (2) the place and impact of the institutions of the family and religion in market shaping; (3) the role of race, ethnicity and nationality in market dynamics, within and across national borders; (4) conceptualizations of marketplaces as ambiguous environments wherein multiple ideologies,
power regimes, and politics interact. In so doing, as a community of researchers, we can advance knowledge on not only what markets do in society but also on what markets do to society.
Marketing Theory, 2022
Critics often associate West-centric knowledge hierarchies in marketing (as well as in business a... more Critics often associate West-centric knowledge hierarchies in marketing (as well as in business and management studies) with (neo)colonialism, academic journal ranking fetishism, resource scarcity in non-Western societies, and the domination of the English Language in the international scholarly landscape. I advance this debate by examining the role non-Western societies themselves have played in reinforcing the phenomenon. Using the Muslim Middle East as a context, I argue that the coupling of the institutions of state politics and religion during the 20th century has negatively influenced the development of social sciences. I show how unreflexive Islamic civilizational revivalism has paradoxically contributed to the reproduction of the same hegemonic discourse it intended to repudiate. These, I argue, are the outcomes of the institutional arrangements that Western colonial/imperial powers have left behind in subordinate societies. I conclude by inviting researchers in both Western and non-Western contexts to develop a sense of self-reflexivity, one that can help create more consciousness about how what they write can impact upon self and others.
Journal of Islamic Tourism , 2021
This article suggests that Islamic tourism be theorised not as a type of tourism but as a subject... more This article suggests that Islamic tourism be theorised not as a type of tourism but as a subject area that conceptualises tourism as an institutional field in which different actors at micro, meso, and macro levels discursively and performatively co-constitute multiple realities for Muslim populations. This conceptualisation can: 1) enable researchers to shift away from constraining definitions to one that allows them to examine how tourism both shapes and is shaped by social, economic, cultural, political, ideological, emotional, psychological, and environmental realities of Muslims; 2) help situate tourism in a broad spatial-temporal institutional setting where Islamicness is not a pre-determined entity but is a fluid concept in constant processes of ‘becoming’ (i.e., being shaped by other entities) and ‘making’ (i.e., shaping other entities); and 3) help foster reflexivity and critical thinking by drawing attention to the institutional and historical structures within which Islamic/halal tourism research has emerged and evolved.
Journal of Strategic Marketing , 2018
This conceptual paper examines the breadth of literature on Market Entry Modes, a fundamentally i... more This conceptual paper examines the breadth of literature
on Market Entry Modes, a fundamentally important and strategic
issue for managers in growing organisations of all sizes in all
sectors. Key concepts and terms are defined and then a set of key
Internationalisation Theories are systematically and critically reviewed,
these being: the Transaction Cost Approach, Institutional Theory, the
Eclectic Paradigm, the Uppsala Internationalisation Model and the
Resource Based View. The final portion of the paper is integrative and
highlights three key literature gaps as signposts for future work.
Sustainability research in the macromarketing literature has been largely limited to exploring so... more Sustainability research in the macromarketing literature has been largely limited to exploring sociocultural values and norms, business practices, public policies, and economic conditions. Although the concept of ‘values’ constantly recurs in the literature, religious perspectives have received little attention. By presenting an alternative interpretation of what have traditionally been construed as anthropocentric religions, this study highlights the underutilized potential of religions as effective vehicles for initiating cultural transformation towards sustainability. The article calls for contextualized approaches to ecological sustainability that take into account the values and worldviews of target communities, which are often shaped by religious systems. The article concludes that including religions in the sustainability discourse can benefit macromarketing theory and practice in a variety of ways.
Identifying the 'religion-ethnicity-wellbeing' nexus as an understudied topic in marketing and co... more Identifying the 'religion-ethnicity-wellbeing' nexus as an understudied topic in marketing and consumer behavior research, we propose three main trajectories for future research: Firstly, given the politics of religions, there is a need for studying societies that suffer from and are affected by religio-ethnic tensions and also different types of risks that threaten people's wellbeing in such contexts. Secondly, future research should investigate how and why markets may generate and mediate religio-ethnic prejudices and antagonism that put society's wellbeing at risk. Thirdly, with the upsurge of transcultural alternative religiosities/ spiritualities, researchers should examine how through the processes of religious hybridization and hybrid consumption people change their existing consumption patterns and how alternative religiosities/spiritualities influence their sense of wellbeing, particularly in contexts where religious shifts are contested.
Journal of Business Research , 2016
n response to Jafari and Sandıkcı's (2015a) critique of her 2014 article entitled “The one-billio... more n response to Jafari and Sandıkcı's (2015a) critique of her 2014 article entitled “The one-billion-plus marginalization”, El-Bassiouny (2015) dismisses the authors' key ontological debate over exceptionalism as a historical and political discourse and diverts attention to new areas of enquiry (e.g., disciplinary legitimacy, Islamic jurisprudence and methodological pluralism) to further her original “transcendental values integration” approach to marketing theory, practice and education. While offering new insights, El-Bassiouny's account is still largely driven by discourses of marginalization, exceptionalism and Islamism. This article therefore: (1) reappraises the oversimplification of the marginalization discourse; (2) reiterates the pitfalls of Islamic exceptionalism at an ontological level; (3) cautions against the consequences of ideological readings of Islam in marketing and consumer research; and (4) re-emphasizes the importance of understanding identity dynamics in the analysis of the complex intersections of Islam, marketing and consumption. In conclusion, the article offers some areas for future research.
Journal of Business Research, 2015
ABSTRACT
Journal of Marketing Management, 2013
Journal of Marketing Management, 2013
This special commentary section proposes new directions in researching the nexus of ethnicity and... more This special commentary section proposes new directions in researching the nexus of ethnicity and wellbeing under three themes of: (1) mobility and shifting identities in relation to place; (2) empowerment and identity performance in relation to the virtual space; and (3) religious conflicts in relation to markets and spaces of consumption. The three short essays in this collection are geared towards accelerating research on ethnicity in marketing and consumer behaviour. They problematize the very nature of ethnicity in relation to space and how ethnicity is performed in different spaces by looking at the issues of social relations, transformations, and conflict. They suggest potential areas of enquiry, particularly for new (Ph.D.) research projects, policy-focused research grant applications, conferences/seminars/workshops, and also classroom activities and teaching purposes.
Humanistic Marketing, 2013
For more than four decades, academic debates on the morality of marketing have focused mainly on ... more For more than four decades, academic debates on the morality of marketing have focused mainly on the advantages and disadvantages of marketing as an institution. This essay questions the usefulness of such debates to addressing many challenges of life in contemporary society and argues that engagement in such discussions will only entrap us in vicious circles of argumentation. The author calls for collective social responsibility and argues that humanistic marketing can only be realised in a humanistic society.
Marketing Theory , 2023
This commentary section presents a dialogical discussion on Appau's (2021) "Toward a divine econo... more This commentary section presents a dialogical discussion on Appau's (2021) "Toward a divine economic system", an article in which he explores religious exchanges in the context of a Pentecostal Church in Ghana and proposes "the divine economy" as an alternative economic system to interrogate and extend scholarship on the relationship between the market and religion. In a thought-provoking conversation, four commentators (including Appau) engage in a critical discussion aimed at generating new ideas on theorizing the complex relationship between the market, consumption, and religion.
Journal of Business Research , 2022
Drawing on insights from the sociology of markets, we offer an analytical review of market system... more Drawing on insights from the sociology of markets, we offer an analytical review of market system dynamics (MSD) in consumer culture theory (CCT) research. We surface important theoretical gaps in current understanding and suggest future research areas. To extend the breadth and depth of MSD’s explanatory power in CCT research, we invite researchers to place greater emphasis on exploring four key issues: (1) differing institutional contexts and their influences on market dynamics; (2) the place and impact of the institutions of the family and religion in market shaping; (3) the role of race, ethnicity and nationality in market dynamics, within and across national borders; (4) conceptualizations of marketplaces as ambiguous environments wherein multiple ideologies,
power regimes, and politics interact. In so doing, as a community of researchers, we can advance knowledge on not only what markets do in society but also on what markets do to society.
Marketing Theory, 2022
Critics often associate West-centric knowledge hierarchies in marketing (as well as in business a... more Critics often associate West-centric knowledge hierarchies in marketing (as well as in business and management studies) with (neo)colonialism, academic journal ranking fetishism, resource scarcity in non-Western societies, and the domination of the English Language in the international scholarly landscape. I advance this debate by examining the role non-Western societies themselves have played in reinforcing the phenomenon. Using the Muslim Middle East as a context, I argue that the coupling of the institutions of state politics and religion during the 20th century has negatively influenced the development of social sciences. I show how unreflexive Islamic civilizational revivalism has paradoxically contributed to the reproduction of the same hegemonic discourse it intended to repudiate. These, I argue, are the outcomes of the institutional arrangements that Western colonial/imperial powers have left behind in subordinate societies. I conclude by inviting researchers in both Western and non-Western contexts to develop a sense of self-reflexivity, one that can help create more consciousness about how what they write can impact upon self and others.
Journal of Islamic Tourism , 2021
This article suggests that Islamic tourism be theorised not as a type of tourism but as a subject... more This article suggests that Islamic tourism be theorised not as a type of tourism but as a subject area that conceptualises tourism as an institutional field in which different actors at micro, meso, and macro levels discursively and performatively co-constitute multiple realities for Muslim populations. This conceptualisation can: 1) enable researchers to shift away from constraining definitions to one that allows them to examine how tourism both shapes and is shaped by social, economic, cultural, political, ideological, emotional, psychological, and environmental realities of Muslims; 2) help situate tourism in a broad spatial-temporal institutional setting where Islamicness is not a pre-determined entity but is a fluid concept in constant processes of ‘becoming’ (i.e., being shaped by other entities) and ‘making’ (i.e., shaping other entities); and 3) help foster reflexivity and critical thinking by drawing attention to the institutional and historical structures within which Islamic/halal tourism research has emerged and evolved.
Journal of Strategic Marketing , 2018
This conceptual paper examines the breadth of literature on Market Entry Modes, a fundamentally i... more This conceptual paper examines the breadth of literature
on Market Entry Modes, a fundamentally important and strategic
issue for managers in growing organisations of all sizes in all
sectors. Key concepts and terms are defined and then a set of key
Internationalisation Theories are systematically and critically reviewed,
these being: the Transaction Cost Approach, Institutional Theory, the
Eclectic Paradigm, the Uppsala Internationalisation Model and the
Resource Based View. The final portion of the paper is integrative and
highlights three key literature gaps as signposts for future work.
Sustainability research in the macromarketing literature has been largely limited to exploring so... more Sustainability research in the macromarketing literature has been largely limited to exploring sociocultural values and norms, business practices, public policies, and economic conditions. Although the concept of ‘values’ constantly recurs in the literature, religious perspectives have received little attention. By presenting an alternative interpretation of what have traditionally been construed as anthropocentric religions, this study highlights the underutilized potential of religions as effective vehicles for initiating cultural transformation towards sustainability. The article calls for contextualized approaches to ecological sustainability that take into account the values and worldviews of target communities, which are often shaped by religious systems. The article concludes that including religions in the sustainability discourse can benefit macromarketing theory and practice in a variety of ways.
Identifying the 'religion-ethnicity-wellbeing' nexus as an understudied topic in marketing and co... more Identifying the 'religion-ethnicity-wellbeing' nexus as an understudied topic in marketing and consumer behavior research, we propose three main trajectories for future research: Firstly, given the politics of religions, there is a need for studying societies that suffer from and are affected by religio-ethnic tensions and also different types of risks that threaten people's wellbeing in such contexts. Secondly, future research should investigate how and why markets may generate and mediate religio-ethnic prejudices and antagonism that put society's wellbeing at risk. Thirdly, with the upsurge of transcultural alternative religiosities/ spiritualities, researchers should examine how through the processes of religious hybridization and hybrid consumption people change their existing consumption patterns and how alternative religiosities/spiritualities influence their sense of wellbeing, particularly in contexts where religious shifts are contested.
Journal of Business Research , 2016
n response to Jafari and Sandıkcı's (2015a) critique of her 2014 article entitled “The one-billio... more n response to Jafari and Sandıkcı's (2015a) critique of her 2014 article entitled “The one-billion-plus marginalization”, El-Bassiouny (2015) dismisses the authors' key ontological debate over exceptionalism as a historical and political discourse and diverts attention to new areas of enquiry (e.g., disciplinary legitimacy, Islamic jurisprudence and methodological pluralism) to further her original “transcendental values integration” approach to marketing theory, practice and education. While offering new insights, El-Bassiouny's account is still largely driven by discourses of marginalization, exceptionalism and Islamism. This article therefore: (1) reappraises the oversimplification of the marginalization discourse; (2) reiterates the pitfalls of Islamic exceptionalism at an ontological level; (3) cautions against the consequences of ideological readings of Islam in marketing and consumer research; and (4) re-emphasizes the importance of understanding identity dynamics in the analysis of the complex intersections of Islam, marketing and consumption. In conclusion, the article offers some areas for future research.
Journal of Business Research, 2015
ABSTRACT
Journal of Marketing Management, 2013
Journal of Marketing Management, 2013
This special commentary section proposes new directions in researching the nexus of ethnicity and... more This special commentary section proposes new directions in researching the nexus of ethnicity and wellbeing under three themes of: (1) mobility and shifting identities in relation to place; (2) empowerment and identity performance in relation to the virtual space; and (3) religious conflicts in relation to markets and spaces of consumption. The three short essays in this collection are geared towards accelerating research on ethnicity in marketing and consumer behaviour. They problematize the very nature of ethnicity in relation to space and how ethnicity is performed in different spaces by looking at the issues of social relations, transformations, and conflict. They suggest potential areas of enquiry, particularly for new (Ph.D.) research projects, policy-focused research grant applications, conferences/seminars/workshops, and also classroom activities and teaching purposes.
Humanistic Marketing, 2013
For more than four decades, academic debates on the morality of marketing have focused mainly on ... more For more than four decades, academic debates on the morality of marketing have focused mainly on the advantages and disadvantages of marketing as an institution. This essay questions the usefulness of such debates to addressing many challenges of life in contemporary society and argues that engagement in such discussions will only entrap us in vicious circles of argumentation. The author calls for collective social responsibility and argues that humanistic marketing can only be realised in a humanistic society.
This essay delineates how and why religion matters to vulnerability discourses in consumer societ... more This essay delineates how and why religion matters to vulnerability discourses in consumer society and sets forth a case towards conceptualising this type of vulnerability. It argues that, in the changing landscape of religion, such vulnerability should be understood primarily against the macro environmental factors that impact public perceptions of and engagement with religion and religiosity.