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Contemporary Consumption Rituals

A Research Anthology

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Series: Marketing and Consumer Psychology Series.

Bringing together scholars in consumer behavior, history, anthropology, religious studies, sociology, and communication, this is the first interdisciplinary anthology spanning the topic of ritual studies. It offers a multifaceted exploration of new rituals, such as Celebrating Kwanzaa, and of the ways entrenched rituals, such as Mardi Gras, gift giving, and weddings have changed. Moreover, it examines the influence of both cultures and subcultures, and will enhance our understanding of why and how consumers imbue goods and services with meaning during rituals.

In this volume, the first in the Marketing and Consumer Psychology series:

  • a religious studies scholar talks about the media representation of ritual;
  • communication scholars discuss the transformational aspects of rituals surrounding alcohol consumption;
  • a marketing scholar demonstrates the relevance of organizational behavior theory to understanding gift-giving rituals in the workplace; and
  • a historian describes how the marketing of Kwanzaa was so integral to its successful adoption.

Table of Contents

Contents: C.P. Haugtvedt, Series Foreword. Contributor Biographies. C.C. Otnes, T.M. Lowrey, Preface. Part I: Consumer Rituals and the Media. J.M. Wolburg, D. Treise, Drinking Rituals Among the Heaviest Drinkers: College Student Binge Drinkers and Alcoholics. R.L. Grimes, Consuming Ritual: A&E's Sacred Rites and Rituals. Part II: Holidays and Consumption. W. Shrum, Ceremonial Disrobement and Moral Choice: Consumption Rituals at Mardi Gras. E.H. Pleck, Kwanzaa: The Making of a Black Nationalist Tradition, 1966-1990. M.A. McGrath, The Evolution, Transformation, and Demise of a Ritual: The Case of May Day. T.M. Lowrey, C.C. Otnes, Consumer Fairy Tales of the Perfect Christmas: Villains and Other Dramatis Personae. Part III: Wedding Rituals Across Cultures. M.R. Nelson, S. Deshpande, Love Without Borders: An Examination of Cross-Cultural Wedding Rituals. O. Sandicki, B.E. Ilhan, Dowry: A Cherished Possession or an Old-Fashioned Tradition in a Modernizing Society? Part IV: Gift Exchange. J.A. Ruth, Gift Exchange Rituals in the Workplace: A Social Roles Interpretation. D.B. Wooten, S.L. Wood, In the Spotlight: The Drama of Gift Reception. C.F. Curasi, E.J. Arnould, L.L. Price, Ritual Desire and Ritual Development: An Examination of Family Heirlooms in Contemporary North American Households. Part V: Pushing the Boundary of Ritual. J-S. Marcoux, Moving on to Something Else: The Social Relations of Women During Separation. J.F. Sherry, Jr., R.V. Kozinets, Sacred Iconography in Secular Space: Altars, Alters, and Alterity at the Burning Man Project. Part VI: Afterword. D.W. Rook, Interesting Stuff: A Commentary on Contemporary Consumption Rituals.