The Culture of Markets

What are the logics of pricing, and why do some pricing schemes defy standard economic expectations? What explains the different labor market outcomes of people who receive the same training from the same place and who have similar grades? Why do national governments issue statements about the country's history and personality when developing economic policies, and why are struggles over the images pictured on money so hard fought? This engaging book locates the answers to these and other questions in the cultural logics and dynamics that constitute and guide markets. Using clear prose and illustrative examples, Frederick F. Wherry demystifies what culture is, and how it can be identified both in the way that markets are organized and in the way that people operate within them. The Culture of Markets offers a comprehensive introduction to the puzzles found in studies of markets and to the ways that cultural analyses address those puzzles. The clarity of the arguments will make this a welcome resource for upper-level students of cultural sociology, economic sociology, and business/marketing.

Frederick F. Wherry is Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Michigan.

Introduction: Culture, Markets, and Economic Life
Chapter 1: The Cultural Roots of Market Demand
Chapter 2: The Cultural Dimensions of Market Supply
Chapter 3: The Culture of Money and Prices
Chapter 4: How to Conduct Cultural Analyses of Markets
Conclusion: Towards a Cultural Sociology of Markets