McDonaldization: The Reader

Book Overview

This companion to the bestselling The McDonaldization of Society includes a selection of articles and excerpts that focus on the application and extension of the idea of McDonaldization to a wide range of social phenomena, issues, and settings, including the church, state, theme parks, mountain climbing, the sex industry, the family, the police, higher education, the Internet, and more. With an eye on the events of 9/11/01 and after, this accessible collection provides insights into the way McDonaldization is affecting cultures around the world, the ways in which it does or does not adapt to particular cultures, and various social movements from around the globe that have emerged in opposition to McDonaldization. The book is organized into the following three sections with a concluding essay that reflects on the future of McDonaldization: McDonaldization: Basics, Studies, Applications, and Extensions The McDonaldization of Social Structures and Institutions Culture, Cross-Cultural Analysis, and Social Change McDonaldization: The Reader is designed for use with or without The McDonaldization of Society and is an ideal supplemental text for a multitude of courses including introductory sociology; social problems; sociology of organizations, institutions, and structures; social change; sociological theory; sociology of work; economic sociology; sociology of consumption; American studies; and popular culture.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761987673
• ISBN13: 9780761987673
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

perhaps the Internet is a countertrend

Ritzer offers the loaded term McDonaldization as anything that takes after McDonald's Corporation. Four precepts are given - efficiency, calculability, predictability and automatic control. This book searches human society for examples that satisfy these precepts. A strange lens with which to view, perhaps. The fear, and that is basically the right word, is that those examples can or will inevitably lead to a homogenisation and standardisation of experiences. A shallow oneness for all. One very interesting example from the book is the claim that the Internet is one of these examples. There has certainly been a commonality of experiences. Now, many people use browsers, with the differences between browsers being trivial. And the browser metaphor has proved axiomatic; a key factor in the Web's success. But the ability for anyone for make content for the Internet is a trend against a homogeneous experience. So that many diverse interests can be accessed and enjoyed.