Enchanting a Disenchanted World

Continuity and Change in the Cathedrals of Consumption

George Ritzer author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:SAGE Publications Inc

Published:19th Jan '10

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Enchanting a Disenchanted World cover

The only book to connect the everyday world of the 20-something undergraduate consumer with sound sociological analysis of the world of consumption

 

Enchanting a Disenchanted World, Third Edition examines Disney, malls, cruise lines, Las Vegas, the world wide web, Planet Hollywood, credit cards, and all the other ways we now consume. Thoroughly updated to reflect the recent economic recession and the impact of the internet, bestselling author George Ritzer continues to explore this book’s central thesis: that our society has undergone fundamental change because of the way and the level at which we consume.

This Third Edition demonstrates how we have created new "cathedrals" of consumption (places that enchant us so as to entice us to stay longer and consume more) while continuing to take capitalism to a new level. These places of consumption, whether in our homes, the mall, or cyberspace, are in a constant state of "enchanting the disenchanted," luring us through new spectacles because their rational qualities are both necessary and deadening at the same time.

New and Hallmark Features

  • Offers a unique analysis of the world of consumption, especially the settings in which consumption takes place
  • Discusses the recent global economic recession throughout
  • Offers rich details on consuming in such places as Las Vegas, Disney World, on cruise ships, in Wal-Mart, at McDonald’s, and, new to this edition, on the Web
  • Includes a wide range of theoretical perspectives—Marxian, Weberian, critical theory, postmodern theory—as well as a number of concepts such as hyperconsumption, implosion, simulation, and time and space to show students how sociological theory can be applied to everyday phenomena


Intended Audience
Enchanting in a Disenchanted World, Third Edition
brings life to a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including Introductory Sociology, Social Problems, Sociological Theory, Economic Sociology, Sociology of Culture, and the Sociology of Consumption.

Contributor to the SAGE Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award

ISBN: 9781412975810

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 370g

272 pages

3rd Revised edition