| Résumé : |
Few sociology books published in the 1990s have succeeded in capturing the imagination more than George Ritzer's The McDonaldization of Society, which has been translated into eight languages. Read and debated throughout the world, the book stimulated thought and discussion throughout all levels of the sociological community. In this new book, Ritzer provides a deeper exploration of the most innovative and imaginative sociological thesis of the last decade of the 20th century - McDonaldization. Part One of the book involves theoretical extensions including a discussion of the work of Karl Mannheim on rationalization. Max Weber's ideas provided the theoretical foundation for the McDonaldization thesis, but Mannheim's ideas are also useful and lead to some new perspectives on the process. Ritzer also assesses the degree to which sociology in general and sociological theory have been McDonaldized. Part Two is devoted to a discussion of the process of McDonaldization. One concern is with the degree to which jobs, and more generally the labour process, has been McDonaldized. Another is with the relationship between McDonaldization and related processes like globalization and the Americanization of the world. There is also an essay on the McDonalidzation of credit arrangements. Part Three involves an evaluation of the move beyond McDonaldization. Ritzer discusses what he terms `the new means of consumption' and the postmodern perspective that best illuminates them. The fast food restaurant is now conceived as one of the many new means of consumption that also includes credit cards, shopping malls, cybermalls and other `shopping experience' outlets. Disneyworld can be seen as a new means of consumption in the tourist realm and within that realm it plays the same role that McDonald's does in the larger society. The modern university - the McUniversity - is also discussed as a new means of educational consumption. The book c |
The McDonaldization Thesis: Explorations and Extensions / SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD (1998)
The McDonaldization Thesis : Explorations and Extensions Ed. 1 / SAGE PUBLICATIONS (1997)
