Doctoral Dissertation Research: An Ethnography of Indebtedness: The Emergence of Credit Card Use in Greece

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Abstract0108704Georges / PlacasThis dissertation research by a cultural anthropology student from Rice University will study the social and cultural life of credit cards in Greece. The use of cards has increased dramatically in recent years, related to European Union integration. Through an ethnographic study in three distinct neighborhoods of Athens, from working class to upper class, the student will study how credit cards have been interpreted as cultural objects signifying "modernity" and will analyze the impact of the cards on those who use them as well as those who are excluded form using them. The traditional cultural meaning of indebtedness will be studied as it has developed and changed in light of the new prevalence of impersonal credit. Concerns with consumption, debt, status, and social mobility will be studied as well as general changes in Greek society affiliated with EU integration. Methods will include participant observation and a formal interview of about 100 respondents drawn from the three neighborhoods, as well as follow up intensive and repeated interviews with a small subsample of 30 respondents (10 from each neighborhood), interviews with bankers, and analysis of articles, records and documents on the credit card industry. This research will advance our understanding of how this ubiquitous financial instrument is being incorporated into a changing traditional society, and this new knowledge will help us understand the use of credit cards in our own society. The project also adds to the training of a young social scientist and increases our knowledge about this important region of the world.