This study explores the consumption of culture from a cultural studies perspective. It provides a critical map of the field, bringing together work on reception theory in literary studies and philosophy, work on consumer culture in anthropology and sociology, and work on media audiences within media studies and sociology. It explores historical work on the consumption of culture, outlines theoretical perspectives, reviews key work in ethnography, and surveys recent debates on postmodernism, consumption and identity. The final chapter offers a critical reassessment of the place of consumption in the continuing development of cultural studies.