Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption - Hardcover

Ritzer, George

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761961011 ISBN 13: 9780761961017

Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc, 1999

Synopsis

In this essential guide to how we now consume, George Ritzer provides original and probing insights into the new forms and settings of consumer culture. Ranging from hyper-real Disney worlds to the local shopping mall, these studies of the new cathedrals of consumption will be compelling to anyone interested in the cultural and economic importance of consumption in our society.

George Ritzer has established himself as the foremost observer of consumer culture. This is the most important book he has written since his classic work The McDonaldization of Society.

About this title

About the Author

George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and won a Teaching Excellence Award. He was awarded the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association, an honorary doctorate from LaTrobe University in Australia, and the Robin Williams Lectureship from the Eastern Sociological Society. His best-known work, The McDonaldization of Society (8th ed.), has been read by hundreds of thousands of students over two decades and translated into over a dozen languages. Ritzer is also the editor of McDonaldization: The Reader; and author of other works of critical sociology related to the McDonaldization thesis, including Enchanting a Disenchanted World, The Globalization of Nothing, Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society, as well as a series best-selling social theory textbooks and Globalization: A Basic Text. He is the Editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Theory (2 vols.), the Encyclopedia of Sociology (11 vols.; 2nd edition forthcoming), the Encyclopedia of Globalization (5 vols.), and is Founding Editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture. In 2016 he will publish the second edition of Essentials of Sociology with SAGE.

Review

"I like the fact that the book is relatively even-handed - appreciating spectacle even while forcing students to question critically the effects of consumption in their lives and those of their fellow citizens."

(Gary Alan Fine 2004-05-07)

"Enchanting a Disenchanted World is a tour de force. Drawing upon a rich array of examples, George Ritzer provides an original and insightful analysis of the new means of consumption and how they are transforming our lives. . . . Analytically crisp, jargon free, and packed with fresh illustrations, Enchanting a Disenchanted World is equally effective as an engaging read for specialists and a lucid text for classroom use. Highly recommended to scholars and students."

(Kevin Fox Gotham 2004-05-07)

"I think this is a great book! I have enjoyed working with it, and so have my students. . . . I especially like the chapters that deal with social theory. These chapters are very effective in presenting social theory to students, as they contain very clear and straightforward explanations of the ideas of otherwise very complex and difficult social theorists."

(Ann Branaman 2004-05-07)

"I think this is a good undergraduate text which can engage students in lively discussions of many recent trends in consumer culture."

(Katya Makarova 2004-05-07)

Edition details

• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0761961011
• ISBN 13: 9780761961017
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272