Pandemics and consumer well-being from the Global South

Abstract

This introductory article makes a critical estimation of the impact of pandemics on the Global South consumer's well-being. Our paper moves beyond the concerns of the other papers of this Special Issue. Instead, we focus on the issues of the vulnerable, marginal, and subaltern consumers of the Global South—experiences and anxieties, distinct from those of more “modern,” capitalized, industrialized, democratized, and economically liberated Global North consumers. We offer the North–South comparisons across national lines or from block to block that bring in a series of promising directions and new currents in the critical, interdisciplinary studies of consumer affairs. Primary perspectives and associated topics for future agenda impacting TCR highlighted are (i) socio-economic inequalities and injustices, (ii) environmental injustice and sustainable future. We finally suggest an innovative research paradigm, “altruistic-activist consumer research,” to address the concerns and impact the well-being of marginal consumers from the Global South.