Exploring the expression of taste through the processes of consumption this book provides an incisive and accessible evaluation of the current theories of consumption, and trends in the representation and purchase of food. Alan Warde outlines various theories of change in the twentieth century, and considers the parallels between their diagnoses of consumer behaviour and actual trends in food practices. He argues that dilemmas of modern practical life and certain imperatives of the culture of consumption make sense of food selection. He suggests that contemporary consumption is best viewed as a process of continual selection among an unprecedented range of generally accessible items which are made available both commerciall (view table of contents)

Product Description: This up-to-date selection of papers considers some of the key changes in the patterning and social significance of consumption.

Product Description: This exciting new reader brings together some of the best recent sociological writing on British society. The volume features carefully selected extracts from books and journals, which have been chosen for the high quality of their sociological analysis and their relevance to understanding social change...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

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Cultural Analysis and Bourdieu’s Legacy explores the achievements and limitations of a Bourdieusian approach to cultural analysis through original contributions from distinguished international scholars. This edited collection offers sustained critical engagement, substantiated by new empirical work. It presents concrete evidence of different approaches to the interpretation of culture in Britain, France and the USA. Discussions are situated in relation to current debates about cultural analysis, in particular the vibrant and extensive disputes concerning the applicability of Bourdieu’s concepts and methods. Subsequently, implications for the future of research work in cultural analysis, including into theory and methods, are drawn. The contributing authors offer key interpretations of the work of Bordieu, arguments for alternative approaches to cultural analysis, and critical applications of his concepts in empirical analysis. This book is essential reading for graduate students of sociology, cultural studies, social anthropology or cultural geography, providing great insight into the work of one of the most eminent contemporary scholars in the field of cultural analysis.

When social scientists in the 1970s began to identify the positive and constructive role of cultural practices in the operation of power, Pierre Bourdieu advanced a highly influential and subsequently controversial account. Most notably in Distinction, he charted the connections between cultural taste and practice and social classification. This book seeks to evaluate, develop and transcend the ideas that Bourdieu explored in Distinction.. Taken together the papers compare and contrast different theoretical and conceptual approaches, bring empirical investigations to bear on relevant theoretical issues, drawing on different national experiences (France, UK, Canada, Central Africa), and attend to aspects of the relationship between culture and power with reference to gender and ethnicity as well as class. Thus the book contributes to the on-going international debates across the social sciences about Bourdieu’s legacy and the current role of cultural practice in social reproduction.

Eating Out is a fascinating study of the consumption of food outside the home. Through surveys and intensive interviews carried out in England in the 1990s, the authors have collected a wealth of information into people's attitudes toward, and expectations of, eating out as a form of entertainment and an expression of taste and status. This book will be a valuable resource to academics, advanced students and practitioners in the sociology of consumption, cultural studies, tourism and hospitality, home economics, marketing and to the general reader. (view table of contents)

Product Description: There has been increasing interest and debate in recent years on the instituted nature of economic processes in general and the related ideas of the market, in particular the competitive process. This debate lies at the interface between two largely independent disciplines, economics and sociology, and reflects an attempt to bring the two fields of discourse more closely together...read more

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Product Description: This book is a lively and up-to-date account of the major developments in British society over the last twenty-five years. It is an excellent teaching text and ideal companion volume to the highly successful textbook Contemporary British Society...read more

Product Description: The BSE epidemic, GM foods, avian flu, the growth of supermarkets and the crisis in obesity have shaken consumer trust in food. Uncovering surprising differences between countries, Trust in Food examines this and challenges the idea of the consumer as a sovereign individual, demonstrating how consumption is institutionalized within society...read more

Product Description: The long-awaited second edition of this highly successful text on urban sociology retains the distinctive character and focus of the original, while taking fully into account recent theoretical debates and new empirical research. Expanded and thoroughly revised throughout, it incorporates the substantial new literature on urban inequality, urban culture, urban politics and globalization...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)