Marketing in schools, commercialization and sustainability: policy disjunctures surrounding the commercialization of childhood and education for sustainable lifestyles in England

Wilkinson, Gary

Abstract

Capitalist expansion is predicated on consumption and growth driven by citizens following their individual preferences in the marketplace. To promote consumption and influence consumer wants and desire, propaganda is used to persuade citizens to purchase products using a wide and diverse range of techniques. In recent decades, this has involved an increase in the marketing of products and consumerist values to children through the education system and the broader media. This article argues that successive UK governments’ public policy in this area has been characterized by inaction, inertia and contradiction and that the resulting policy disjunctures are at variance with their public rhetoric about the commercialization of childhood and professed objectives regarding the promotion of environmental awareness and sustainable lifestyles in schools.

Citation

Wilkinson, G. (2016). Marketing in schools, commercialization and sustainability: policy disjunctures surrounding the commercialization of childhood and education for sustainable lifestyles in England. Educational review, 68(1), 56-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2015.1058750

• Acceptance Date: May 28, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jul 6, 2015
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Deposit Date: Jul 28, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 28, 2015
• Journal: Educational review
• Print ISSN: 0013-1911
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 68
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 56-70
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2015.1058750
• Keywords: Sustainability, Marketing, School commercialism, Commercialization, Propaganda, Childhood
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/376952
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2015.1058750#.Vbd_MU_bI6I
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Educational review on 06/07/2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00131911.2015.1058750
• Contract Date: Jul 28, 2015