New book from LATTS: Sociology of Consumption

What is consumption? How can sociologists approach such a familiar phenomenon? This book provides answers based on a body of empirical research. The various topics covered—definition issues, household budget studies, the role of markets and commercial mechanisms, links between consumption and social group hierarchies, and the relationship between consumption and politics—help us understand how sociology is "shaking up" the notion of consumption and redefining its content and contours.

Introducing numerous rich and stimulating analyses, this book questions the boundaries between certain categories—such as those separating consumption and production or consumption and culture. It also questions certain habits of thought: why is consumption linked to the domestic sphere? Why is it so often considered a feminine activity, and why is it constantly subject to moral judgments?