Culture and Consumption II: Markets, Meaning, and Brand Management

by Grant McCracken

A follow-up to Grant McCracken's groundbreaking Culture and Consumption , this new book trades the usual platitudes about the consumer society for a more detailed, exacting anthropological treatment. Each section of the book pairs a brief essay with an academic article. The essay is designed for a quick, provocative glimpse of the topic; the article provides a deeper anthropological treatment. The book opens with a broadside against the now thoroughly conventionalized attack on the consumer culture. Essays follow on homes, cars, people, and social mobility; celebrities, consumerism, and self-invention; museums and the power of objects; the anthropology of advertising; and marketing, meaning management, and value. Like McCracken's previous volume, this new book is an engaging, informative, and eye-opening foray into modern consumer culture.

Genres: Anthropology, Theory

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

I'm an anthropologist, born in Canada, now living in, and studying, the US. I divide my life into two halves. One is the writing half. The other is for clients: Netflix, the Ford Foundation, the White House, among others. My new book, out in late December from Simon and Schuster is called The New Honor Code.

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ordered this because I love culture and consumption so much ... finally got this. It picks up where the first leaves off. This one is filled with examples of consumption ... discusses how cultural artifacts confer meaning to humans. The format is creative: an opening abstract per chapter, followed by a "popular" style essay on the subject, concluding with a more academic handling of the subject matter.

[Lauren Lastrapes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am supposed to be reading this right now for school. I do not have time for such things. If anyone wants to email me and tell me what it's about by Monday so I can write up a little paper on it, feel free.