The Routledge Handbook of 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 Handbook of Identity and Consumption introduces the reader to state-of-the-art research, written by the world’s leading scholars regarding the interplay between identity and consumption. The book addresses the diverse issues regarding the ways identity affects our consumption behavior and vice-versa and in doing so presents a broad perspective on the dynamics of self-identity and consumption.

With chapters discussing the theory, research, and practical implications of these dynamics, including the way they change across our life span and their expression within different social, cultural, and religious contexts, this book will be a valuable reference source for students and academics from a variety of disciplines.