Memory and Institutional Dynamics in Markets: “The Phantasmal of Memories” in W.G. Sebald’s Narrative

This work investigates the role of memory in the processes of market creation/change. By drawing on recent developments in the neo-institutionalist theory, understanding how memory contribution to “institutional dynamics in markets” is closely linked to the institutional dimensions of emotion. The case study adopted a grounded theory approach to analyse the novels by the writer W.G. Sebald. Among the most exemplary manifestations of “narrative of memory”, in terms of research design, Sebald’s writings show interesting dimensions of analysis: the dialogue between organizational institutionalism, marketing studies and consumer research is enriched by introducing the relationship between “agency and context” and “practice and materiality”. The “representation of the past” (the memory à la Ricoeur) is a phenomenon that emerges at the confluence of two dynamics: (i) emotions are a powerful “collective phenomenon”, fueling forms of Institutional Work (IW); (ii) and support historical processes, “restructuring” the Institutional Logics (IL) which take shape over time. The main theoretical implication is that markets are characterized (also) by their “temporal structures” and from the point of view of institutional dynamics they are “mnemonic fields”.