Welcome to the Companion Site!

This site is intended to enhance your use of The McDonaldization of Society, by George Ritzer. Please note that all the materials on this site are especially geared toward maximizing your understanding of the material.

The book that made "McDonaldization" part of the lexicon of contemporary sociological theory, read by hundreds of thousands of students, is now in its Ninth Edition!

George Ritzer's seminal work of critical sociology, The McDonaldization of Society, continues to stand as one of the pillars of modern day sociological thought. Building on the argument that the fast food restaurant has become the model for the rationalization process today, this book links theory to contemporary life in a globalized world and resonates with students in a way that few other books do. Ritzer opens students’ eyes to many current issues and shows how McDonaldization’s principles apply to other settings, especially in the areas of consumption and globalization. This new edition has been significantly reoriented to reflect our experience of McDonaldization in the world of online consumption.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge George Ritzer for writing an excellent text and for reviewing the assets on this site. Special thanks are also due to Susan Wortmann of Nebraska Wesleyan University for creating the ancillaries on this site.