Looking back on the fragile extended self.

Thompson's article in Marketing Theory on Belk's canonical Extended Self provides an analysis of the institutional legacy of key milestones in the development of cultural consumer research. This commentary critically reflects on the implication of Thompson's arguments regarding ontological bridge building to consider some of the factors and choices that constrain intellectual trajectories in the field to ask what future directions and bridge building potentials exist for consumer researchers investigating consumer culture today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]