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Copyright by Sergio Antonio Cabrera 2015 The Dissertation Committee for Sergio Antonio Cabrera Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Ethical Consumerism and Parenting in a New Urbanist Neighborhood in Austin, Texas Committee: Christine L. Williams, Supervisor Ari Adut Javier Auyero Daniel Fridman Sharmila Rudrappa Ethical Consumerism and Parenting in a New Urbanist Neighborhood in Austin, Texas by Sergio Antonio Cabrera, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 Dedication For Jess, Naela, Pancho, Gogo, Iris, Chuky, and Richi. Ethical Consumerism and Parenting in a New Urbanist Neighborhood in Austin, Texas Sergio Antonio Cabrera, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Christine L. Williams Abstract: This dissertation examines how people understand themselves—and, therefore, others like them—to be “good people.” Recent decades have witnessed enormous changes in the American cultural landscape, changes which have eroded, replaced, or transformed many of the institutions which Americans once more exclusively relied on (at least ideologically) to construct their moral identities. In this dissertation I argue that today where, how, and what people buy matter a great deal in how they define themselves as good people. I show, moreover, that these consumer choices contribute to new forms of social inequality. This project utilizes in-depth interviews with 31 residents of the Mueller neighborhood in Austin, Texas who are parents of young children. The first part of this dissertation illustrates how, in the case of Mueller, ethical consumerism is a product of particular social settings. I draw on Muellerites’ experiences with ethical consumerism to challenge conventional understandings of (1) what compels people to engage in ethical consumerism, and (2) the relationship between self-interest and civic behavior. Second, I explore how liberal, v progressive ideals held by residents of Austin—and residents of the Mueller neighborhood in particular—coexist with gentrification and persistent inequalities in surrounding neighborhoods. Third, I explore how middle-class parents in Mueller interpret and negotiate dominant discourses regarding the need to shelter children from market influences, and the cultural work that these parents engage in to draw distinctions between the types of consumerism that are acceptable for their families and those that are not. I conclude with a discussion of the relevance of my findings for social theory and understanding contemporary inequalities. vi Table of Contents List of Tables ......................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ..........................................................................................................x Chapter One: Introduction .......................................................................................1 Moral Careers, Institutions, and Ethical Consumerism ..................................2 Mueller ............................................................................................................9 Organization ..................................................................................................14 Chapter Two: Ethical Consumerism in Context: Self-Interest and the Greater Good in a New Urbanist Neighborhood .....................................................................19 Ethical Consumerism: Neoliberal Individualization or Strategy for Distinction? ..............................................................................................................20 Self-Interest and Ethical Consumerism ........................................................27 The Mueller Neighborhood...........................................................................33 Methods.........................................................................................................36 Findings.........................................................................................................41 Context .................................................................................................42 Alternative Moral Discourses ..............................................................49 The Economic and the Ethical .............................................................55 Discussion .....................................................................................................60 Chapter Three: Diversity, Community, and New Urbanism in Creative Austin ...64 Creative Austin .............................................................................................65 New Urbanism, Mueller, and Community ....................................................68 Community ...................................................................................................70 Diversity ........................................................................................................74 Methods.........................................................................................................79 Findings.........................................................................................................84 Buying into New Urbanism .................................................................84 Community Found ...............................................................................89 Community and Diversity ....................................................................96 vii Discussion ...................................................................................................105 Chapter Four: “I’d never get my kids that. What an awesome gift!”: Parenting, Consumerism, and Circuits of Commerce ..................................................116 Parenting the Commercial Child .................................................................117 Consumer-Parenting ...................................................................................122 Methods.......................................................................................................126 Findings.......................................................................................................131 Sheltering ...........................................................................................132 The High Cost of Non-Consuming ....................................................137 Circuits of Commerce ........................................................................141 Discussion ...................................................................................................147 Chapter Five: Conclusion ....................................................................................151 Appendix A: Interview Guide ..............................................................................162 References ............................................................................................................165 viii List of Tables Table 1: Interviewee Demographics ......................................................................18 ix List of Figures Figure 1: Porches in Mueller opening onto sidewalks. ........................................110 Figure 2: Porches in Mueller leading to communal gardens. ..............................111 Figure 3: Shady sidewalks in Mueller. ................................................................112 Figure 4: Hidden alleys in Mueller. .....................................................................113 Figure 5: Mueller Master Plan .............................................................................114 Figure 6: Austin Racial Dot Map .........................................................................115 x Chapter One: Introduction I ran into Kate, one of my respondents, near the sandbox at one of the children’s playgrounds in the Mueller neighborhood about a week after I interviewed her for this project. Kate shared that she had been thinking about our interview while on the neighborhood’s online forum earlier in the week. In the forum Kate got into an argument with a few of her neighbors over what they should do about a group of children who had been riding their bicycles while not wearing helmets and horse-playing near younger kids. Some neighbors suggested posting the kids pictures online to compel their parents to intervene; others argued that neighbors should take it on themselves to intervene more directly. Kate felt that the entire situation was “ridiculous” and had been blown way out of proportion. She had seen these kids ride past her house and, according to her, they were doing nothing out of the ordinary. “You know,” she told me, “we’re not all perfect,” referring to herself and fellow Muellerites. “We all make mistakes and get on each other’s nerves, but I’m confident that we are all generally good people.” This dissertation examines how people understand themselves—and, therefore, others like them—to be “good people.” Recent decades have witnessed enormous changes in the American cultural landscape, changes which have eroded, replaced, or transformed many of the institutions which Americans once more exclusively relied on (at least ideologically) to construct their moral identities. In this dissertation I argue that today where, how, and what people buy matter a great deal in how they define 1 themselves as good

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