The Globalization of Nothing is back in a revised and completely updated edition, with an even greater emphasis on the processes of globalization and how they relate to McDonaldization. As before, this book is structured around four sets of concepts addressing the issues of: "places/non-places," "things/non-things," "people/non-people," and "services/non-services." By drawing upon salient examples from everyday life, George Ritzer invites the reader to examine the nuances of these concepts in conjunction with the paradoxes within the process of the globalization of nothing. Critical questions are raised throughout, and the reader is compelled not only to seek answers to these questions, but also to critically evaluate the questions as well as their answers. New to This Edition Features a greater emphasis on the main topic of globalization: A new first chapter offers an introductory overview of globalization and globalization theory, outlining the unique ways in which these topics are addressed throughout the text. Offers a new way to conceptualize and theorize about globalization: This edition delves into two subprocesses of globalization-"glocalization" and "grobalization." Provides a new way to think about consumer culture and globalization: New material is presented on consumer culture and its globalization as well as on the role of branding. Uses a nontechnical and accessible style with many global examples: The examples in this book are drawn from everyday life and a global consumer culture that are readily recognizable to students. Shorter and more concise in response to reviewer feedback. Intended Audience This text can be used in a variety of courses focusing on the principles of sociology, social change, social theory, globalization, consumerism, and the global economy in sociology departments as well as in related courses in departments of political science or economics. Contributor to the SAGE Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award
George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, where he has also been a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and won a Teaching Excellence Award. He was awarded the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award by the American Sociological Association, an honorary doctorate from LaTrobe University in Australia, and the Robin Williams Lectureship from the Eastern Sociological Society. His best-known work, The McDonaldization of Society (8th ed.), has been read by hundreds of thousands of students over two decades and translated into over a dozen languages. Ritzer is also the editor of McDonaldization: The Reader; and author of other works of critical sociology related to the McDonaldization thesis, including Enchanting a Disenchanted World, The Globalization of Nothing, Expressing America: A Critique of the Global Credit Card Society, as well as a series best-selling social theory textbooks and Globalization: A Basic Text. He is the Editor of the Encyclopedia of Social Theory (2 vols.), the Encyclopedia of Sociology (11 vols.; 2nd edition forthcoming), the Encyclopedia of Globalization (5 vols.), and is Founding Editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture. In 2016 he will publish the second edition of Essentials of Sociology with SAGE.
About the Author Preface 1. Globalization: A New Conceptualization Key Topics in the Study of Globalization Globalization Theories Glocalization and Grobalization Grobalization: The Major Processes Glocal, Grobal, and Local 2. Nothing (and Something): Another New Conceptualization Defining Nothing Defining Something The Something-Nothing Continuum Globalization and the Dimensions of Nothing 3. Meet the Nullities: Nonplaces, Nonthings, Nonpeople, and Nonservices Nonplaces (and Places) Nonthings (and Things) Nonpeople (and People) Nonservice (and Service) Relationships Among the Nullities An Illustrative Excursion to the Movies 4. Nothing: Caveats and Clarifications Conceptual Aids to Understanding Nothing Some Paradoxes The Social Construction of Nothing The Economics of Nothing (and Something) In Defense of Nothing 5. The Globalization of Nothing Elective Affinities Grobalization: Loose Cultural and Tight Structural Forms The Grobalization of Nothing: Enabling Factors 6. Theorizing Glocalization and Grobalization Theorizing the Globalization of Culture Analyzing Sport: Use and Abuse of the Concept of Glocalization Analyzing McDonaldization Anthropologically: More Use and Abuse of Glocalization Thinking About the Fate of the Local Contributions to Cultural Theories of Globalization 7. The Globalization of Consumer Culture---and Global Opposition to It Elements of Consumer Culture Driving Forces Behind the Globalization of Consumer Culture The Role of Branding Beyond the Usual "Consumer" Suspects Global Attacks on the Symbols of American Consumer Culture The Globalization of Nothing and September 11, 2001 8. Loss Amidst Monumental Abundance---and Global Strategies for Coping With It Theory and the Paradoxes of Consumer Culture Loss Amidst Monumental Abundance Strategies for Overcoming the Sense of Loss Notes Index
"This edition is a shorter, tighter, and more focused book that deals focally and directly with globalization, at least as it relates to nothing and something. Readers will come away from this revision with not only a new way of looking at globalization but also a sense of the problems posed by the globalization of nothing and the need to find ways to deal with its pernicious aspects." -- Savannah Jones
