In this episode we discuss our varied experiences of and relationships with nature. We pay particular attention to inter-generational similarities and differences, and geographical/ cultural differences of understandings of nature. We are joined by Christina Elvira Dahl, a research assistant, and Mathilde Hansson, a student in the Market & Management Anthropology Bachelor’s program, both from the University of Southern Denmark. They share their research on evolving garden practices in...

In this episode Lez Trujillo Torres from the University of Illinois, Chicago shares her research on complex emotions and family dynamics involving covid 19 vaccines. We also discuss, more generally, how consumption gets complicated when multiple actors experiencing varied emotions negotiate rules of engagement and boundary-making. References in this episode: Mimoun, L., Trujillo-Torres, L. and Sobande, F., 2021. Social emotions and the legitimation of the fertility technology market....

We are joined by Tanvi Gupta and Rupali Kapoor from the Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur to discuss the interrelationships between food practices, nationhood, memory and brands. Tanvi and Rupali share their research on Cadbury’s Bournvita drinking chocolate and how this brand as well as product has been central to many Indian consumers’ associations of childhood. We also touch upon the postcolonial associations of certain brands and how their significations change over time....

In this episode, we try to understand how technological entanglements have been shaping contemporary family life and question our imaginings of the “normal,” happy and child-centered family. Our two guests, Lydia Ottlewski (University of Southern Denmark) and Karin Brondino-Pompeo (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing, São Paulo) share their research on online platforms through which users form parenting arrangements in Germany (Lydia) and through which parents produce and curate...

In this episode we are joined by Domen Bajde from the University of Southern Denmark to discuss sports consumption. We being with a conversation around our personal interests in sports viewing and how political issues influence sports and athletes in different ways. Then Domen talks us through his project on NFTs and questions whether consumption is really changing from ‘solid to liquid’ or are we just seeing new forms of the desire for ownership. Some references: Fletcher, T., 2012. ‘Who do...

In this episode we talk to Adjoa Ocran about her PhD research on Ghanaian celebrities. We specifically discuss celebrity priests and how young Ghanians make sense of the concept of ‘celebrity’. Additionally, we touch upon issues of child celebrities like Britney Spears, ‘cancel culture’ and the cannibalism of Armie Hammer, and finally, how consumption is related to celebrity culture.

In this episode we talk about how consumption plays a key role in the holiday season and why this can be problematic. We discuss Black Friday, consumer representations, and the plight of non-celebrants as well as those who might not be feeling their best around the holiday season, situating "holiday depression" within larger patterns of "cruel optimism" and toxic positivity. We end with some speculative thoughts on how consumers and brands can re-consider hegemonic representations and...

In this episode, we are joined in the studio by our students Anne-Mette Buch Hansen (master’s in international business and marketing) and Mike Gotfredsen (bachelor’s in market and management anthropology). Anne-Mette talks about her thesis research into mens’ clothing and make-up consumption that are deemed “gender-transgressive”. Mike, who was an interlocutor in Anne-Mette's study, shares his own experiences and keen observations . Together we discuss the changing and...

In this episode, we talk to Ea Høg Utoft, a most inspiring political science scholar at Aarhus University, on gender equality. We discuss an array of instances in which women’s bodies are objectified, sexualized, and policed by society - be it with banning young girls and women from wearing crop tops to school or sport bras to the gym, or telling Muslim women not to wear religious head-covering. Ea brings in the lens of a “postfeminist gender regime” to discuss how, in Denmark, gender...

In this episode Anuja and Alev discuss changes in consumption practices in times of crisis as well as people who try to mitigate crisis via consumption, i.e., Doomsday Preppers! We are joined by a recent Masters’ Graduate, Alix Botto, who shares findings from her thesis on dispossession processes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Finally, Alev, Anuja and the mysterious K-man share their own consumption stories from time in lockdown during the pandemic. References: Akaka, M. A., & Schau, H....

In this season finale, Anuja and Alev talk about their love for movies and the movie theater (despite the logistical challenges of using the bathroom). Their guest, Professor Finola Kerrigan, chimes in to talk about storytelling, representation, and marketing in a globalized (but still imbalanced) movie industry and also shares with us the joys of using personal stories as teaching materials.

In this episode, Alev, Anuja and their producer Karsten share stories about their consumption related shame and regret. We discuss the idea of travel as a liminal space for carefree consumption, how governments might encourage consumption as a form of citizenship, and fandom related remorse (including a dig at Harry Potter). Finally, Karsten shares thoughts on how parents might feel helpless against consumer culture and the marketplace’s influence on children. At the end, we acknowledge...

Are chihuahuas real dogs? Have you ever been to a Victorian cat tea party? How do dogs motivate us to be better? Anuja and Alev and their guests, Zeynep Arsel and Ghalia Shamayleh, a supervisor-PhD student team from Concordia University challenge the animal-human binaries in this episode and go to the cats & dogs. Reading suggestions for this episode: Abidin, C. (2015). Micromicrocelebrity: Branding babies on the internet. m/c Journal, 18(5). Austin, J., & Irvine, L. (2020). “A...

In this episode, Anuja & Alev make Dannie Kjeldgaard (SDU) answer all of life’s big questions, such as “what is sustainability” and “can consumption ever be sustainable.” Dannie’s sensible Scandinavian approach is followed by two brilliant students (well, one recent and one almost- grad) - Silvia Sperti and Julia Wummel, who talk about their research on citizen-driven sustainability initiatives such as Swap Parties and Repair Cafes. Optional reading list for this episode: Anantharaman,...

Deciding that they can't get enough of talking about love and marriage and TV, Anuja, Alev and Carly get together again and discuss of norms and (double) standards when it comes to determining what are the right ways to love and choose and make a (heterosexual) family; reflecting on awkward personal experiences, matchmaking/mail-order bride discussions, multiple critical feminist perspectives and of course representations of love and sex on TV. MMA student Vivien Dobran chimes in to talk...

In this episode, Alev and Anuja cover a broad range of topics ranging from whether Backstreet Boys has ever been cool, to Bollywood music in the UK, and to the politics of Kurdish music in Turkey. SDU MMA student Maria Seitjen Reiss joins them with insights into flamenco as local heritage as well as tourist spectacle in Andalusia. Guest researcher Alex Skandalis from Lancaster University sheds light on the intersections of taste, place as well as gender in the fields of Indie and Classical...

Fitness may seem as all about health and looks. But it is consumption pure. In this episode, researchers Alev Kuruoglu and Anuja Pradhan reveal the hidden consumerism of fitness. We also discuss Medical Fitness vs. Neoliberal Fitness, and take a deep plunge into crossfit.

'Celebrating' one year of Covid-19, researchers Anuja Pradhan and Alev Kuruogly talks about the changes in consumer culture inflicted by the pandemic. We talk about ritualization, how spaces have changed and the dilemma of liberalism vs. responsibilization. References and reading suggestions for this episode: Symbolic Boundaries: Dirty-Clean: Douglas, M. (2003). Purity and danger: An analysis of concepts of pollution and taboo. Routledge. Covid Disruptions &...

Fashion is a system that organises most of our lives. In this episode, Anuja Pradhan and Alev Kuruoglu talk about fashions impact through mass media, and fashion as a system of distinction as well as its ethical contentions. Notes, links and references for this episode: Our Guest Erika’s Research: Kuever, E. (2014). Mapping the Real and the False: Globalization and the Brand in Contemporary China. In Consumer Culture Theory. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Kuever, E. (2019). “If the...

Anuja Pradhan and Alev Kuruoglu talk about gender and representation issues in TV production - and in the writer's rooms. Shows like The Queen’s Gambit and Indian Matchmaking are put under the microscope. Consumer sociologist Carly Drake joins along the way. Notes and reading tips: “The Male Gaze” It was Laura Mulvey who came up with this term, in in the essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (Published in 1975, in the journal Screen - reprinted in the collection “Visual and Other...

Anuja Pradhan and Alev Kuruoglu look at TV as a cultural force that shapes and drives consumption. Media like TV inflicts the ways in which consumers see the world. In this episode, we are joined by researcher Cagri Yalkin and students Alexandra Torpen and Fabian Frost. Producer: Karsten Prinds. REFERENCES Our guest Cagri’s work on TV and Turkish soap operas: Yalkin, C. (2019). TV series: marketplace icon. Consumption Markets & Culture, 1-8. Yalkin, C., & Veer, E. (2018). Taboo on...

In this episode we discuss coffee consumption and the culture around it. From the Five Waves of Coffee to production, and to the changes in café culture. And finally, how coffee marketing is ridiculously effective (on some of us). While we don’t always refer to literature within the podcast, a lot of our conversations feed from research conducted within the fields of consumer culture/consumption studies; as well as sociology, anthropology, and other disciplines. Plus, we don’t manage to...