Late Modernity and the Dynamics of Quasification: The Case of the Themed Restaurant

Abstract

The themed restaurant is an example of a process of theming which is characteristic of many of the leisure experiences of contemporary society. This paper seeks to trace the origins and prototypes of the themed restaurant to provide a typology of theming devices and to offer an analysis of theming strategies. The various perspectives on theming as a cultural device are discussed, and the concept of quasification is introduced in order to advance our theoretical understanding of the theming process in its broader cultural context. Specifically, it is argued that the techniques of quasification entail the active and knowing involvement of both those who engineer themed settings and those who purchase participation in them. Late modernity, it is argued, has an unprecedented capacity for creating quasified experiences as antidotes to the tedium of its mundane everyday settings.