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Book Review: History and Social Theory

Americanization or Westernization. Ritzer argues that McDonaldization, as a transnational force, has had homogenizing and globalizing power over local cultures. However, critics have argued that McDonaldization, while omnipresent, is constantly mediated and thus reconstituted through local cultures. For example, Watson points out that in East Asia, a local McDonald’s readjusts its menus to fit dietary needs and desires of local consumers. In other words, local societies both accept and resist the universalizing process of McDonaldization. McDonaldization both homogenizes and hybridizes. This is a well-organized reader, divided into central themes that contain opposing debates and examine the pros and cons of McDonaldization. It provides students with a comprehensive overview of all issues concerning this globalizing process, such as basic concept, application, changes in social institution, and local resistance. It also allows students to develop critical thinking about the processes of globalization and McDonaldization. This is an excellent reader for teachers who teach undergraduate courses on globalization, work, and social institution. It is also a must-read for lower and upper division undergraduate students who are concerned with the nature of modern and postmodern worlds.