Consumer research has traditionally focused on issues of epistemology in the collection and analysis of data. As a consequence, the crisis in representation which has radically reshaped understanding in the social sciences, has, so far, had very little impact on consumer research. This book redresses the balance with an investigation of representation and constructions of 'truth' in consumer research. Subjects covered include:

* construction of the researcher and consumer voice

* quantitative tools and representation

* advertising narratives

* poetic representation of consumer experience

* the crisis in the crisis concept

* consumer-oriented ethnographic research.

The essays are written by experts from Britain and the United States and draw on a broad range of theoretical approaches.