Book Review: Structural Equation Modeling: Concepts, Issues, and Applications

India, using his ethnoconsumerism approach. Should his approach be discounted by a researcher exploring diffusion issues in another culture? I am sure Venkatesh's answer would be "No," and rightfully so. The remaining chapters in the first part of the book also contain interesting perspectives and recommendations. Bouchet makes a strong case for exploring the historical roots of ethnicity, from a political as well as social and cultural perspective. Paradoxically, he contends that postmodem European ethnic groups are becoming less focused on their roots and more on self and contemporaries' perceptions, so an appreciation of the cultural transformation from homogeneity and affiliation to heterogeneity and eclecticism is critical for marketers. Firat provides a broader view of culture, arguing that people are more avid consumers of cultures than they are members of them. In this sense, culture is a marketable, consumable item. He also suggests that consumption enables people to sample self-images, providing freedom to construct and reconstruct themselves creatively. This type of "image switching" has implications for how brand images are managed within and across cultural boundaries. Roosens's chapter concludes the first part of the book by describing ethnic groups as social rather than cultural entities. As a whole, the first part of the book is rich in conceptualizations of ethnicity, viewed through various cultural, political, and social lenses. The implications for marketing, however, often are left to the reader to infer. The second part of the book shifts to research studies exploring culture, ethnic identity, and consumer behavior. Joy and colleagues provide a traditional ethnographic account of the meaning of homes and objects in them to first-generation Italian immigrants in Montreal. The research does a nice job incorporating cultural and historical as well as social perspectives, surfacing interesting dynamics among family members manifested through the acquisition and transferal of possessions. Belk and Paun use consumption patterns to understand ethnicity in Romania. Using both primary and secondary data sources, their analysis reveals consumption differences that help define ethnic majorities (Romanians and Hungarian-Romanians) and minorities (Gypsies) living in Romania. Their essay makes a good case for examining cultural differences as well as commonalties. (Interested researchers may find the field of cognitive anthropology and its methodological approaches useful; see Boster 1987.) Caglar's chapter examines the acculturation of Turks into German society through the economic and cultural impact of a successful Turkish fast-food product. Somewhat similar to a gyro sandwich, doner kepab has become a widely successful fast food in Germany. Its success has enabled Turkish immigrants to succeed as entrepreneurs and thereby gain economic and cultural integration into German society. Caglar argues, however, that doner kepab's "competitive advantage" as a novel and socially desirable food (healthier than other fast foods) also has drawbacks, namely that it is associated with Turkishness and Turks' negative image in Germany. Attempts are being made to "Americanize" doner kepab by marketing it as "McKepab," "Mac Doner," and "Mister Kepab. " The next chapter provides another account of culture and ethnicity in Europe. Although Wilson's setting is Northern Ireland, his linkage of trade agreements to ethnic and national identity is not nation specific. Wilson's thesis is that JOURNAL OF MARKETING RESEARCH, AUGUST 1997