Everyday Ethics of Consumption in the Austere City

This paper provides a first critical overview of literature within and beyond geography regarding the everyday ethics of consumption in times of austerity, with a focus on urban spaces. How consumers balance their ethical imperatives in a time of austerity has significant, multi‐scalar social and economic impacts, and yet there is a limited literature that addresses the everyday ethics of consuming in austere conditions. By teasing out the differences between the ‘ethics of consumption’ and ‘ethical consumption’, and reflecting on research regarding consumption in contemporary and historical periods of austerity, I highlight the need for greater geographical insight into the impacts of economic and political change on everyday urban life. I demonstrate that geographers might begin to tackle this emerging research agenda by attending to issues that impact on people's everyday lives, using the examples of ordinary mobilities, including home spaces and tourism, and food consumption in the case of food banks.