Author Meets Critics: The Church of Stop Shopping and Religious Activism:

Abstract: In this Author Meets Critic discussion, author George González (Baruch College, CUNY) engages in an animated conversation about his new book, The Church of Stop Shopping and Religious Activism: Combatting Consumerism and Climate Change through Performance (New York University Press). With colleagues Rebecca C. Bartel (San Diego State University), Kati Curts (Sewanee: University of the South), Cody Musselman (Harvard), and Leigh Schmidt (Washington University, St. Louis), and Edward Timke (Michigan State University), González considers how the study of religion is connected to marketing, capitalism, and consumerism. Exploring the layers of performativity, irony, and sincerity inherent in the Church’s messaging, he offers piercing insights into the relationship between ritualization and consumerism.