George Ritzer

Adapted from Ritzer’s Introduction to Sociology, this text provides students with a rock-solid foundation in a shorter and more streamlined format. Students will learn about traditional sociological concepts and theories, as well as some of the most compelling contemporary social phenomena: globalization, consumer culture, the Internet, and the “McDonaldization” of society. Packed with current examples and the latest research of how “public” sociologists are engaging with the critical issues of today, this new edition encourages students to apply a sociological perspective to their worldview—empowering them to participate in a global conversation about current social problems.… (meer)

This is a bizarre and very out of date book, and I mean those two things in conjunction. 1996 and 2017 are very different, yet are united in that we are in a globalized world. Even so, much of the anxiety which Ritzer talks about in his book is either out of date or commonplace today. I would argue that his ontology of Globalization wasn't properly suited to prescribe the end of everything in the way that his rhetoric allows. Rather, the technological changes and reshaping of our world has made the "McDanoldization" argument not out of date, but out of touch. However, as the academic world embraced "globalization fever" in the Clinton years, these were popular anxieties. I would treat "The Globalization of Nothing" as a primary source for analyzing how we treated the system when it first revealed itself. A worthwhile read, yes, but don't take it as gospel.… (meer)