New Forms of Consumption: Consumers, Culture, and Commodification Contributor(s): Gottdiener, Mark (Editor), Arditi, Jorge (Contribution by), Bramlett, Matthew D. (Contribution by) |
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ISBN: 0847695700 ISBN-13: 9780847695706 Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers OUR PRICE: $70.29 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: November 2000 Annotation: New forms of consumption such as those facilitated by cyberspace, themed environments, the commodification of sex, and the increasing role of leisure in society all play new and interesting roles in daily life that combine consumerism with the most contemporary social forms. This book examines the recent ways in which consumerism has been studied with special emphasis given to these and other newly emerging topics. Part One provides a theoretical overview of consumption studies dealing with classical and more contemporary approaches in light of the debate between advocates and critics of postmodernism. Part Two emphasizes empirical studies of the commodification process. Part Three explores new forms of consumption on a more detailed and concentrated level. Mark Gottdiener currently teaches at the University of Buffalo. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Business & Economics | Marketing - General |
Dewey: 658.8 |
LCCN: 00032849 |
Series: Postmodern Social Futures |
Physical Information: 0.72" H x 6" W x 9" (1.04 lbs) 320 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Consumption as a field of cultural studies overlaps with theories of postmodernism, the social construction of self, commodification in late capitalism, and the role of mass media in daily life. New forms of consumption such as those facilitated by cyberspace, themed environments, the commodification of sex, and the increasing role of leisure in society all play new and interesting roles in daily life that combine consumerism with the most contemporary social forms. This collection of essays examines the recent ways in which consumerism has been approached by cultural studies with special emphasis given to these and other newly emerging topics. The book is divided into three parts. The first part provides a theoretical overview of consumption studies dealing with classical and more contemporary approaches in light of the debate between advocates and critics of postmodernism. In this section there are papers on McDonaldization, tourism and cultural studies, and the Theory of Shopping. The second part emphasizes empirical studies of the commodification process. Papers address the transformation of women's bodies and the mass commodification of milk, the creation of the toddler as a subject and the commodification of childhood, the commodification of sports, and the commodification of rock music. The third section of the book explores new forms of consumption on a more detailed and concentrated level. Papers in this section include the rise of sex tourism as a global industry, the commodification of the sacred, and the emergence of new consumer spaces in the city. An introduction by the editor delineates the advantages of his approach to new forms of consumption based squarely in the emerging issues of cultural studies, debates transcending postmodernism, and the society of the spectacle. |