Cover Consumption, Culture, and Society

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book € 15,00
series "Universale Paperbacks il Mulino"
pp. 256, Brossura, 978-88-15-09689-0
publication year 2004

ROBERTA SASSATELLI

Consumption, Culture, and Society

As many have noted, with accusatory or disheartened undertones, ours is a society marked by consumption. But what does this ambiguous label mean exactly? The author describes the historical evolution of contemporary consumer culture, the main theories that have attempted to explain consumer behaviour, and the power relationships involved in the use and consumption of goods. The theoretical discussion is complemented by numerous examples concerning youth fashions, gender-based consumption, ethnic cuisine, eating disorders, television, uses of leisure time, health expenditures, and boycotts against major corporations. These digressions reveal the mechanisms by which consumer culture - and its ties to major phenomenon such as trade globalisation, the development of large distribution chains, and the increasing sophistication of advertising - is "negotiated" in everyday life by subjects committed to building their own identity and life-style.

Roberta Sassatelli teaches Consumption and Fashion Sociology at the University of Bologna.

Spanish rights sold.

Introduzione
Parte prima: Nascita e genesi della società dei consumi
1. Capitalismo e rivoluzione dei consumi
2. La produzione culturale del valore economico
Parte seconda: Le teorie dell'agire di consumo
3. Utilità e competizione sociale
4. Bisogni indotti e simulazione
5. Gusti, comunicazione e pratiche
Parte terza: La politica del consumo
6. Consumismo e promozione
7. Merci e consumatori
8. Consumi e contesti
Riferimenti bibliografici

See also

copertina The Contemporary City
copertina Sant'Agostino
copertina Storia della globalizzazione
copertina Good Manners