The Routledge Companion to Identity and Consumption

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are," said Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Today "You are what you consume" is more apt. Barbara Krueger's ironic twist of Descartes - "I shop therefore I am" - has lost its irony. Such phrases have become commonplace descriptions of our identity in the contemporary world. In our materialistic world it seems as if there is no debate that our consumption behavior is fused with our self-identity - shaping it, changing it and often challenging it. The Routledge Companion to Identity and Consumptionintroduces the reader to state-of-the-art research, written by the world's leading scholars regarding the interplay between identity and consumption. Surprisingly, although consumption has become an inherent part of our self definition, to date, there is no book that offers a comprehensive overview of the research in this important area. This Companionseeks to rectify that by presenting a broad perspective on cutting-edge research on the dynamics of self-identity and consumption. As such, the chapters in this book will address diverse issues regarding the ways identity affects our consumption behavior and vice-versa. With chapters discussing the theory, research and practical implications of these relationships, including the way they change across our life span, their expression within different social, cultural, and religious contexts, and our tangible and virtual manifestations of identity via material goods and services, this book will be a valuable reference source for students and academics from a variety of disciplines.