Oral Presentation by Alicja Dudek¹
¹ Krakow University of Economics, Poland
TIME: Wednesday, 15 July, 10:30 – 12:00
Location: Room 3
Session: 11
Abstract
Consumer boycotts are often described as a form of collective resistance within capitalist markets, based on solidarity and coordinated action aimed at influencing corporations and political actors. While boycotts have proven effective in some countries, previous research shows that they remain relatively ineffective and underutilized in Poland (Szwed, 2020; Zasuwa et al., 2020). Cross-country comparisons indicate that Polish consumers are less willing to participate in boycotts than consumers in countries such as France (Szwed, 2020). This tendency is often explained by lower levels of social capital and interpersonal trust (Zasuwa, 2017). At the same time, the permissibility and legitimacy of consumer boycotts are still being discussed and reconceptualised (Donaldson, 2026), especially in the context of global crises such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine (Misiewicz et al., 2024) or the genocide in Gaza (Asyaidir et al., 2024). This study aims to explain why consumer boycotts in Poland rarely lead to collective impact, with a particular focus on the role of solidarity. The study uses critical discourse analysis to examine discussions on Polish online forums. The corpus is supplemented with selected online media articles addressing consumer boycotts in Poland. In contrast to studies focused on official statements or political discourse, this research concentrates on everyday narratives produced by individuals who comment on boycott initiatives. The study contributes to critical perspectives on consumer resistance and shows how discourses of individual responsibility, skepticism, and low trust weaken solidarity and collective action in the Polish context. Although the analysis focuses on consumer boycotts, the conclusions may also be relevant for other areas of collective resistance, including labor relations and employee rights, where solidarity is often emphasized but remains difficult to achieve in practice (Rintamäki & Alvesson, 2023).