Consumerism and U.S. Study Abroad

Abstract

This article combines U.S. higher education history, consumer theories, and study abroad practices and policies to explore the effects of consumerism on American study abroad. Consumer theory states that in consumerist ideology, identity formation and the meaning of life are to be found in the buying of prepackaged experiences. Higher education became one of these experiences in the 1970s with increased federal funding and the accompanying growth to a mass market. This mass market helped change the ideology of higher education. Study abroad commercialization in the 1990s has paralleled U.S. higher education commodification; therefore, this history provides insights into the implications of this process for study abroad. The implications include changes in student attitudes, governmental policies, international education practices, and advertising methods. This article describes the potential advantages and disadvantages of these changes to study abroad.