Abstract

CONSUMPTION MARKETS & CULTURE, 2018 VOL. 21, NO. 3, 283–293 BOOK REVIEWS Death in a consumer culture, edited by Susan Dobscha, London, Routledge, 2016, 328 pp., $160.00 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-138-84819-1 Although our marketing and consumer research journal pages are not completely absent of death narratives, death does remain under-theorised. Despite the inevitability of death, for many it remains a topic associated with taboo and fear. Indeed, it may be assumed that a book titled Death in a Con- sumer Culture would be a depressing read. Of course, some of the chapters may strike a chord with readers and they certainly deal with sensitive and emotional issues. However, this should not be a deterrent because in this edited collection Susan Dobscha brings together 20 chapters that demon- strate the breadth of research possibilities on the consumer behaviour and cultural practices associ- ated with death. The book is organised into five parts. Part 1 considers the death industry and opens with “Proclaiming modernity in the monument trade” by Bruce S. Elliott. Elliott, a historian, offers a historical analysis of corporate branding and advertising in the Vermont marble and granite sectors. Focusing on the time period of 1910–1932, he effectively illustrates both