Enchanting a Disenchanted World : Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption

by Ritzer, George

• ISBN13: 9780761961017
• ISBN10: 0761961011
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-02-01
• Publisher: Pine Forge Press

Summary

"Seductively readable, Enchanting a Disenchanted World is a discussion stimulator without peer. With its comprehensive bibliography and student-friendly use of Marx, Weber, and postmodern theory, it provokes hypotheses and paper topics left and right. This is a boon for undergraduate sociology and a worthy three-quel to The McDonaldization of Society and Expressing America. It is relevant, fact-filled, and provocative." -- Chris Prendergast, Illinois Wesleyan University 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.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
A Tour of the New Means of Consumption	1	(26)
The Revolution in Consumption and the Larger Society	27	(26)
Social Theory and the New Means of Consumption	53	(24)
Rationalization, Enchantment, and Disenchantment	77	(27)
Reenchantment: Creating Spectacle through Extravaganzas and Simulations	104	(27)
Reenchantment: Creating Spectacle through Implosion, Time, and Space	131	(40)
Societal Implications and the Future of the New Means of Consumption	171	(47)
Notes	218	(33)
Index	251