Artifacts, Identity, and Transition: Favorite Possessions of Indians and Indian Immigrants to the United States
Abstract
The things to which we are attached help to define who we are, who we were, and who we hope to become. These meanings are likely to be especially salient to those in identity transitions. In this study we examine such meanings by comparing favorite possessions of Indians in India and Indians who immigrated to the United States. Because the Indian sense of self differs considerably from Western concepts, these immigrants provide an interesting and important group in which to examine the use of possessions in securing identity. Results suggest that possessions play an important role in the reconstruction of immigrant identity.
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People facing discontinuous life experiences tend to get more nostalgic and look to the past for stability.
“Those that face discontinuous life experiences tend to get more nostalgic and look to the past for a sense of stability (Mehta and Belk, 1991).”
From How personal nostalgia influences giving to charity (2011) · cites this paper as Mehta and Belk, 1991
Personal nostalgia serves as an anchor of continuity and identity during changing circumstances in life.
“It serves as an anchor of continuity and identity (Mehta and Belk, 1991) during changing circumstances in life (Noble and Walker, 1997).”
From How personal nostalgia influences giving to charity (2011) · cites this paper as Mehta and Belk, 1991
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Possessions and the Extended Self
Belk, R. W. (1988) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/209154 · Cited by 9,064 · see citing works
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The Ties That Bind: Measuring the Strength of Consumers’ Emotional Attachments to Brands
Thomson, M., MacInnis, D. J., & Whan Park, C. (2005) · Journal of Consumer Psychology · doi:10.1207/s15327663jcp1501_10 · Cited by 2,713 · see citing works
Psychological Ownership: Theoretical Extensions, Measurement, and Relation to Work Outcomes
Avey, J. B., Avolio, B. J., Crossley, C. D., & Luthans, F. (2009) · Journal of Organizational Behavior · doi:10.1002/job.583 · Cited by 920 · see citing works
‘Masstige’ marketing: A review, synthesis and research agenda
Kumar, A., Paul, J., & Unnithan, A. B. (2020) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.030 · Cited by 437 · see citing works
Indigenes’ Responses to Immigrants’ Consumer Acculturation: A Relational Configuration Analysis
Luedicke, M. K. (2015) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1093/jcr/ucv002 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
How personal nostalgia influences giving to charity
Merchant, A., Ford, J. B., & Rose, G. (2011) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.06.013 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
A psychological ownership approach to designing object attachment
Baxter, W. L., Aurisicchio, M., & Childs, P. R. N. (2015) · Journal of Engineering Design · doi:10.1080/09544828.2015.1030371 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Weinberger, M. F. (2015) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1093/jcr/ucv020 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
- Authors
- Mehta, R., & Belk, R. W.
- Affiliations
- University of Cincinnati (US)
- ORCID
- Belk, Russell W.
- Venue
- Journal of Consumer Research
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1991-03
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 398
- ISSN
- 0093-5301 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5277
- OpenAlex
- W2010133116
- Cited by
- 543
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 35 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 16.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Consumer Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
- Social Sciences › Demography › Diaspora, migration, transnational identity
- Keywords
- material culture, identity, Indian immigrants, Indian Americans, identity transition, cultural identity
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