George Ritzer

George Ritzer
George Ritzer
Born	October 14, 1940; New York City, United States
Education
Alma mater	City College of New York (B.A. in Psychology); University of Michigan Ann Arbor (M.B.A.); Cornell University (Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior);
Philosophical work
Main interests	Sociology; Social theory; Metatheory; Theory of rationalization; Political sociology; Economic sociology; sociology of consumption;
Notable works	The McDonaldization of Society (1993); Sociology: A Multiple Paradigm Science (1975, 1980); Toward an Integrated Sociological Paradigm (1981); Metatheorizing in Sociology (1991); The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists (2003); The Globalization of Nothing (2007); Enchanting a Disenchanted World (2009); Globalization: A Basic Text (2010,2015, 2022); Introduction to Sociology (2012); Sociological Theory (2013); Essentials of Sociology (2014);
Notable ideas	Created the concept of McDonaldization; consumption; something vs. nothing; prosumption; globalization; grobalization; glocalization; metatheory;

George Ritzer (born October 14, 1940) is an American sociologist, professor, and author who has mainly studied globalization, metatheory, patterns of consumption, and modern/postmodern social theory. His concept of McDonaldization draws upon Max Weber's idea of rationalization through the lens of the fast food industry. He coined the term in a 1983 article for The Journal of American Culture, developing the concept in The McDonaldization of Society (1993), which is among the best selling monographs in the history of American sociology.

Ritzer has written many general sociology books, including Introduction to Sociology (2012) and Essentials to Sociology (2014), and modern/postmodern social theory textbooks. Many of his works have been translated into over 20 languages, with over a dozen translations of The McDonaldization of Society alone.

Ritzer is currently a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park.

George Ritzer

Born	(1940-10-14) October 14, 1940 New York City, United States

Education
Alma mater	City College of New York (B.A. in Psychology) University of Michigan Ann Arbor (M.B.A.) Cornell University (Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior)
Philosophical work
Main interests	Sociology Social theory Metatheory Theory of rationalization Political sociology Economic sociology sociology of consumption
Notable works	The McDonaldization of Society (1993) Sociology: A Multiple Paradigm Science (1975, 1980) Toward an Integrated Sociological Paradigm (1981) Metatheorizing in Sociology (1991) The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists (2003) The Globalization of Nothing (2007) Enchanting a Disenchanted World (2009) Globalization: A Basic Text (2010,2015, 2022) Introduction to Sociology (2012) Sociological Theory (2013) Essentials of Sociology (2014)
Notable ideas	Created the concept of McDonaldization consumption something vs. nothing prosumption globalization grobalization glocalization metatheory