Dr Hugh Mackay is an Honorary Associate of the Faculty of Sociology at Open University
Reviewing key contemporary issues and debates about consumption, this volume portrays and assesses the varied and complex intersections of consumption and everyday life. Throughout, the contributors show how cultural consumption involves a range of active, creative, and critical practices. The rich and idiosyncratic nature of local consumption practices is illustrated through cases from different parts of the world. Through such cases, the contributors show the varying balance between constraint and creativity, links between consumption and production, and the patterns that shape access to symbolic and material resources. Consumption takes place in the context of everyday lives, which take place in space: questions of place and identity, the privatization of the home, and the linking of local everyday practices with broader, global processes are explored. Particular attention is given to the media and new communication technologies as points of overlap and exchange between the local and the global, between domestic consumption and the public sphere. The book is written in an accessible style, and each chapter includes questions and activities for students, and selected readings. The book will be of interest to students and lecturers across a range of disciplines including sociology, anthropology, communication, cultural and media studies, and geography.
