David Kivinen & Keijo Rahkonen 
A Social and Economic Theory of Consumption [PDF ebook] 

Kaj Ilmonen was a pioneer in the third wave of the sociology of consumption. This book provides a balanced overview of the sociology of consumption, arguing that the enthusiasm of ‘the third wave’ exaggerated the role of the symbolic and imaginary at the expense of the materiality of human societies.

Table of Content

Foreword The Sociology of Consumption: A Brief History Markets and the Neo-Liberal Utopia of Omnipotent Markets Commodities and Consumption: General and Specific Features Want, Need and Commodity Consumption and the Necessary Economic Conditions for Consumption The Use and Meanings of Money Mechanisms of Consumption Choice and their General Cultural Framework Consumption as Ideological Discourse Consumption as Use: Our Relationship to Commodities

About the author

Alan Warde is Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester.