Theory as imagination: George Ritzer, prosumption and the theory of social <i>change</i>

George Ritzer is a capturer of the sociological imagination. His skill as a social theorist lies in bringing complex issues to life in ways that lead his readers to want to relate their understanding to their own lives. The subtitle to Ritzer's seminal book, ‘The McDonaldization of Society’ neatly summarizes what Ritzer manages to achieve in his theory that others have not, namely, to ‘investigate the changing character of contemporary social life.’ Ritzer's achievement is to demystify social theory; to enable more of us to recognize how social theory can get beneath the surface of the contemporary every day and how that influence is subject to constant change. To this end, Ritzer's contribution amounts to what Kellner describes as (a rare) ‘concrete example of sociology in action;’ an applied social analysis which draws attention to the vivid complexities and contradictions of contemporary social life.