Consumption Reader, The

Description:
Consumption affects every aspect of the contemporary world, from the most intimate moments of everyday life to the great geopolitical struggles that have been set in train by the forces of globalization. Consumer culture has recast the world in its own image, and we are only just beginning to make sense of the enormous social, political, economic, moral, and environmental implications. This Reader offers an essential selection of the best work on the Consumer Society. By drawing from the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, The Consumption Reader presents the history and geography of consumer societies, the social and political aspects of consumer culture, and the discourses and practices of consumption. It reaches back to the consumer revolutions of the eighteenth century and spans the globe. The Consumption Reader focuses in particular on the subjects, objects, spaces, and technologies of consumer societies. In addition to outlining these vital components of consumer societies, it also provides an accessible insight into the theoretical debates that surround the interest in consumption and consumerism. Students will appreciate The Consumption Reader for its scope, clarity and ease of use. The material is arranged so that it will develop the student's knowledge through a logical progression, but it may also be read selectively so that the student can rapidly get to grips with key issues, ideas, and authors. It brings together a diverse range of topics and theoretical perspectives in a way that is engaging, surprising, and thought provoking. Each section is given introductions and contextual information written by the editors.

Review:
'At a time of ever increasing academic interest in consumption - its cultures and landscapes - The Consumption Reader provides a stimulating tour of and guide to its literatures. The book will be welcomed by students across a wide range of disciplines.' - Neil Wrigley, University of Southampton; 'This collection presents an excellent introduction to the variety of aspects of consumption of interest to social scientists and to the diverse approaches through which they study the consumption issue.' - Ray Hudson, University of Durham; 'The Consumption Reader brings a welcome focus to a field that often seems to sprawl in all directions. Through carefully choosing a mix of the old, the new and the downright unexpected, the editors have produced a Reader which both consolidates consumption studies and also points in new and exciting directions. The result is that this Reader is something of a landmark.' - Nigel Thrift, University of Bristol

Table of Contents:
General Introduction Part 1 History Introduction 1.Consumption in early modern social thought, Joyce Appleby 2. The consumer revolution of eighteenth-century England, Neil McKendrick 3. Consumerism and the Industrial Revolution, Ben Fine & Ellen Leopold 4. Traditional and modern hedonism, Colin Campbell 5. Industrialism, consumerism, and power, Zygmunt Bauman 6. The governance of consumption, Alan Hunt 7. Societies of consumers and consumer societies, Martin Purvis Part 2 Geography Introduction 8. Night life, Wolfgang Schivelbusch 9. What's modern about the modern world-system?, Peter Taylor 10. The Empire's old clothes, Jean Comaroff 11. Plurality of taste, Michael Wildt 12. The world on a plate, Ian Cook & Philip Crang 13. The 'consumption' of tourism, John Urry 14. A new look at gentrification, Paul Redfern 15. Urban lifestyles, Sharon Zukin Part 3 Subjects and identity Introduction 16. Consumer sovereignty, Simon Mohun 17. The consumer's revolt, Mary Douglas 18. Subculture and style, Dick Hebdige 19. Subcultures or neo-tribes?, Andrew Bennett 20. Consumption and class, Rosemary Crompton 21. The body in consumer culture, Mike Featherstone 22. Commerce and femininity, Rachel Bowlby 23. The three-body problem and the end of the world, Hillel Schwartz Part 4 Objects and Technology Introduction 24. The genealogy of advertising, Pasi Falk 25. Where are the missing masses?, Bruno Latour 26. Rodchenko in Paris, Christina Kiaer 27. Toys, Roland Barthes 28. The Hoover in the garden, Roger Miller 29. The two-way mirror, Elaine Abelson 30. 'We know who you are and we know where you live', Jon Goss Part 5 Theory Introduction 31. The gift and potlatch, Marcel Mauss 32. Sacrifices and the wars of the Aztecs, Georges Bataille 33. Pecuniary emulation, Thorstein Veblen 34. The philosophy of fashion, Georg Simmel 35. Classes and classifications, Pierre Bourdieu 36. Consumption and production, Karl Marx 37. The ideological genesis of needs, Jean Baudrillard 38. The practice of everyday life, Michel de Certeau