Provides an insight into the historical and cultural roots of mass consumerism.

It is well-understood that the consumption of goods plays an important, symbolic role in the way human beings communicate, create identity, and establish relati

"This book compiles and integrates highly innovative work aimed at bridging the fields of anthropology and consumer behavior." —Journal of Consumer Affairs "

The study of past society in terms of what it consumes rather than what it produces is - relatively speaking - a new development. The focus on consumption chang

When an anthropologist and an economist combine to write a book about consumption it is not a sermon against materialism, nor a moan against consumerism. The Wo