An interdisciplinary anthology of consumption rituals.This new volume will help the understanding of why & how consumers imbue goods and services with meaning during rituals.Will be of interest to consumer psych,communications, marketing & business.

Contents: C.P. Haugtvedt, Series Foreword. Contributor Biographies. C.C. Otnes, T.M. Lowrey, Preface. Part I: Consumer Rituals and the Media.J.M. Wolburg, D. Treise, Drinking Rituals Among the Heaviest Drinkers: College Student Binge Drinkers and Alcoholics. R.L. Grimes, Consuming Ritual: A&E's Sacred Rites and Rituals.Part II: Holidays and Consumption.W. Shrum, Ceremonial Disrobement and Moral Choice: Consumption Rituals at Mardi Gras. E.H. Pleck, Kwanzaa: The Making of a Black Nationalist Tradition, 1966-1990. M.A. McGrath, The Evolution, Transformation, and Demise of a Ritual: The Case of May Day. T.M. Lowrey, C.C. Otnes, Consumer Fairy Tales of the Perfect Christmas: Villains and Other Dramatis Personae.Part III: Wedding Rituals Across Cultures.M.R. Nelson, S. Deshpande, Love Without Borders: An Examination of Cross-Cultural Wedding Rituals. O. Sandicki, B.E. Ilhan, Dowry: A Cherished Possession or an Old-Fashioned Tradition in a Modernizing Society? Part IV: Gift Exchange.J.A. Ruth, Gift Exchange Rituals in the Workplace: A Social Roles Interpretation. D.B. Wooten, S.L. Wood, In the Spotlight: The Drama of Gift Reception. C.F. Curasi, E.J. Arnould, L.L. Price, Ritual Desire and Ritual Development: An Examination of Family Heirlooms in Contemporary North American Households. Part V: Pushing the Boundary of Ritual.J-S. Marcoux, Moving on to Something Else: The Social Relations of Women During Separation. J.F. Sherry, Jr., R.V. Kozinets, Sacred Iconography in Secular Space: Altars, Alters, and Alterity at the Burning Man Project. Part VI: Afterword.D.W. Rook, Interesting Stuff: A Commentary on Contemporary Consumption Rituals.