In large cities of the Global South, an immersion in mass consumer culture is no longer the domain of the rich. This book offers a transnational examination of how global economic development has transformed consumption, identity, and culture among the former urban poor.

The book presents a wide-ranging exploration of new consumer cultures of the former urban poor across four different cities: Guangzhou, Metro Manila, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. It aims to reorient current discussions about consumer culture and economic development, and brings explorations of the cultural dimensions of globalisation and economy to a transregional scale. In doing so, the book contributes to interdisciplinary discussions of culture and globalisation by documenting the rise and importance of some of the world’s largest and fastest growing groups of consumers