The Making of the Consumer: Knowledge, Power and Identity in the Modern World (Cultures of Consumption Series)

The Making of the Consumer: Knowledge, Power and Identity in the Modern World (Cultures of Consumption Series)

by Frank Trentmann (Editor)

Synopsis

We constantly hear about 'the consumer'. The 'consumer' has become a ubiquitous person in public discourse and academic research, but who is this person? The Making of the Consumer is the first interdisciplinary study that follows the evolution of the consumer in the modern world, ranging from imperial Britain to contemporary Papua New Guinea, and from the European Union to China. It makes a novel contribution by broadening the study of consumption from a focus on goods and symbols to the changing role and identity of consumers. Offering a historically informed picture of the rise of the consumer to its current prominence, authors discuss the consumer in relation to citizenship and ethics, law and economics, media, work and retailing.Contributors include:Donald Winch (University of Sussex)Frank Trentmann (Birkbeck College, University of London)Vanessa Taylor (Birkbeck College, University of London)Marie-Emmanuelle Chessel (CNRS: Centre de Recherches Historiques, cole des Hautes tudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris)Michelle Everson (Birkbeck College, University of London)Erika Rappaport (University of California, Santa Barbara)Uwe Spiekermann (Georg-August University, Gttingen)Jos Gamble (Royal Holloway University)Stephen Kline (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada)Frank Mort (University of Manchester)Ina Merkel (Philipps-Universitt, Marburg, Germany)James G. Carrier (Indiana University and Oxford Brookes University)Ben Fine (SOAS: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London)

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Publisher: Berg Publishers
Published: 01 Nov 2005

ISBN 10: 184520249X
ISBN 13: 9781845202491
Book Overview: Also available in hardback, 9781845202484 GBP55.00 (November, 2005)

Media Reviews
'At a time when it has become commonplace to accept 'the consumer' as a timeless and neutral concept, it is vital to question just when, where and how this particular figure appeared. An exciting and important collection that leads consumption studies forward into new territory, this book offers highly relevant and engaged social science which will have a broad appeal.'Professor Richard Wilk, Gender Studies and Anthropology, Indiana University, USA'Epitomizes the maturity reached by consumer studies. Framed by a far-reaching introduction, the wide-ranging and original essays develop a much-needed genealogical approach to the development of the consumer as a contested social figure embedded both in everyday life and in commercial and public knowledge.'Dr. Roberta Sassatelli, Department of Communication Studies, University of Bologna, Italy'This bracing collection arrives at a crucial moment in the development of consumption studies. It demonstrates the benefits and tensions t
Author Bio
Frank Trentmann is Professor of Modern History at Birkbeck College, London, and Director of the Cultures of Consumption Research Programme (ESRC-AHRC).