Review by Choice Review
In this multidisciplinary volume, established scholars from Canada, the US, and England critically assess the historical use--and changing nature--of consumer-based modes of resistance commonly referred to as "commodity activism." Through case studies of television, film, and a variety of other mediated texts--and also of consumer- and celebrity-activist campaigns--Mukherjee (media studies, CUNY, Queens College), Banet-Weiser (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, USC), and their fellow contributors highlight and address the paradoxes and contradictions inherent in the notion of "doing good by buying good." They note how social activism is, more than ever, embedded in capitalism and the market, and they examine the ramifications of this paradox. In doing so, they also explore the increasingly complex, intertwined relationship of "consumer" and "citizen." The contributors are to be commended for their skill in using timely examples from popular culture to illustrate some of the theoretically dense ideas they introduce throughout the volume. Without doubt this important collection of essays will contribute significantly to the new and growing field of "critical consumer studies." Serious scholars will mull over the ideas contained within for years to come. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students through faculty. J. R. Mitrano Central Connecticut State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
