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Consuming Life - by Zygmunt Bauman (Paperback)

Consuming Life - by  Zygmunt Bauman (Paperback) - 1 of 1
$18.39 sale price when purchased online
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About this item

Highlights

  • With the advent of liquid modernity, the society of producers is transformed into a society of consumers.
  • About the Author: Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) was Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the Universities of Leeds and Warsaw.
  • 168 Pages
  • Social Science, Sociology

Description



Book Synopsis



With the advent of liquid modernity, the society of producers is transformed into a society of consumers. In this new consumer society, individuals become simultaneously the promoters of commodities and the commodities they promote. They are, at one and the same time, the merchandise and the marketer, the goods and the travelling salespeople. They all inhabit the same social space that is customarily described by the term the market.

The test they need to pass in order to acquire the social prizes they covet requires them to recast themselves as products capable of drawing attention to themselves. This subtle and pervasive transformation of consumers into commodities is the most important feature of the society of consumers. It is the hidden truth, the deepest and most closely guarded secret, of the consumer society in which we now live.

In this new book Zygmunt Bauman examines the impact of consumerist attitudes and patterns of conduct on various apparently unconnected aspects of social life politics and democracy, social divisions and stratification, communities and partnerships, identity building, the production and use of knowledge, and value preferences.

The invasion and colonization of the web of human relations by the worldviews and behavioural patterns inspired and shaped by commodity markets, and the sources of resentment, dissent and occasional resistance to the occupying forces, are the central themes of this brilliant new book by one of the worlds most original and insightful social thinkers.



From the Back Cover



With the advent of liquid modernity, the society of producers is transformed into a society of consumers. In this new consumer society, individuals become simultaneously the promoters of commodities and the commodities they promote. They are, at one and the same time, the merchandise and the marketer, the goods and the travelling salespeople. They all inhabit the same social space that is customarily described by the term the market. The test they need to pass in order to acquire the social prizes they covet requires them to recast themselves as products capable of drawing attention to themselves. This subtle and pervasive transformation of consumers into commodities is the most important feature of the society of consumers. It is the hidden truth, the deepest and most closely guarded secret, of the consumer society in which we now live.

In this new book Zygmunt Bauman examines the impact of consumerist attitudes and patterns of conduct on various apparently unconnected aspects of social life politics and democracy, social divisions and stratification, communities and partnerships, identity building, the production and use of knowledge, and value preferences. The invasion and colonization of the web of human relations by the worldviews and behavioural patterns inspired and shaped by commodity markets, and the sources of resentment, dissent and occasional resistance to the occupying forces, are the central themes of this brilliant new book by one of the worlds most original and insightful social thinkers.



Review Quotes




"[An] engaged and important antidote to the platitudes of the times ... encourages the very human virtues [Bauman seeks] to recover from a world otherwise only concerned with the easy, the simple and the fast."
Times Higher Education

"A masterful account and critique of consumerism and the social consequences of its ubiquity ... another worthy contribution to the urgent task of social critique amid unprecedented and unfettered consumerism."
Sociology

"A timely intervention in helping sociologists think about what the sociology of consumption has achieved."
Sociological Review

"Consuming Life provides a fiery, stimulating and sharp diagnosis, with much to tell us about where and who we are in a market-led society."
Commentary

"Bauman's message calls for awakening from the slumber we are in."
Essays in Philosophy




About the Author



Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) was Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the Universities of Leeds and Warsaw.
Dimensions (Overall): 8.96 Inches (H) x 6.11 Inches (W) x .36 Inches (D)
Weight: .54 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Sub-Genre: Sociology
Genre: Social Science
Number of Pages: 168
Publisher: Polity Press
Theme: General
Format: Paperback
Author: Zygmunt Bauman
Language: English
Street Date: November 19, 2007
TCIN: 1002556880
UPC: 9780745640020
Item Number (DPCI): 247-03-5553
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 0.36 inches length x 6.11 inches width x 8.96 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.54 pounds
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