The Changing Consumer: Markets and Meanings

by Alison Anderson (Editor), Kevin Meethan (Editor), R Steven Miles (Editor)

The consumer ethic is ubiquitous. Everything we do, see, hear and even feel appears to be connected in some way to our experience as consumers. The increasingly high profile of debates over consumption, consumer culture, consumer behaviour and consumer rights reflects a world undergoing rapid change. The Changing Consumer charts the nature of that change, as well as discussing why consumption has become so important and what role, if any, it plays in underpinning social, economic and political transformation. Featuring contributions from some of the leading theorists of consumption from across a range of disciplines, this collection includes chapters * men's consumption and men's magazines * the changing profile of women as consumers * the representation of consumption on popular TV shows * consuming retro chic * the symbolic and emotional role of alcohol consumption. Drawing on fascinating case-studies throughout, this book will be essential reading for students and academics interested in the study of consumption.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 8, 2005

About the author

Alison Anderson spent many years in California; she now lives in a Swiss village and works as a literary translator. Her translations include Europa Editions’ The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, and works by Nobel laureate J. M. G. Le Clézio. She has also written two previous novels and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literary Translation Fellowship. She has lived in Greece and Croatia, and speaks several European languages, including Russian.