Explorations in the Sociology of Consumption
eBook - PDF

Explorations in the Sociology of Consumption

Fast Food, Credit Cards and Casinos

  1. 272 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Explorations in the Sociology of Consumption

Fast Food, Credit Cards and Casinos

About this book

In this book, one of the leading social theorists and cultural commentators of modern times, turns his gaze on consumption. George Ritzer, author of the famous McDonaldization Thesis, demonstrates the irrational consequences of the rational desire to consume and commodify. He examines how McDonaldization might be resisted, and situates the reader in the new cultural spaces that are emerging in society: shopping malls, casino hotels, Disneyfied theme parks and Las Vegas, the new `cathedrals of consumption? as he calls them. The book shows how new processes of consumption relate to globalization theory. In illuminating discussions of the work of Thorstein Veblen and the French situationists, Ritzer unearths the roots of problems of consumption in older sociological traditions. He indicates how transgression is bound up with consumption, through an investigation of the obscene in popular and postmodern culture.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Explorations in the Sociology of Consumption by George Ritzer in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Sociology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Preface
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Introduction
  6. Chapter 1 - Writing to be Read
  7. Chapter 2 - The Irrationality of Rationality
  8. Chapter 3 - Some Thoughts on the Future of McDonaldization
  9. Chapter 4 - The process of McDonaldization is not uniform: Nor are it's settings, consumer or the consumption of its goods and services
  10. Chapter 5 - Expressing America: A critique of the global credit card society
  11. Chapter 6 - Enchanting a disenchanted
  12. Chapter 7 - Ensnared in the e-net: The future belongs to the immaterial means of consumption
  13. Chapter 8 - Globalization theory: Lessons from the exportation of McDonaldization and the new means of consumption
  14. Chapter 9 - The new means of consumption and the situationist perspective
  15. Chapter 10 - Thorstein Veblen in the age of hyperconsumption
  16. Chapter 11 - Obscene from any angle: Fast food, credit cards, casinos and consumers
  17. References
  18. Index