Professor Christina Goulding, Keele Management School, will give the latest lecture in Keele University's programme of Inaugural Professorial Lectures on Tuesday, 28 May, 2013, in the Westminster Theatre, on the University campus. The title of the lecture is "The Tribal Consumer".
Over the last twenty years Consumer Culture Theory has emerged as a sub-discipline within the broader field of consumer behaviour. This position requires a more critical view of the consumer and a move from an individual psychological analysis of behaviour to one grounded in the social lived experience of consumers. This lecture will discuss the emergence of the 'tribal consumer' and will draw on research conducted into such consumer tribes as 'clubbers' and 'Goths'. It will also raise questions about the ethics of adopting the tribal framework in the wider commercial sense.
Christina Goulding's research interests lie in two areas. The first is consumer behaviour from a critical perspective. Much of her work has been concerned with developing an understanding of the consumption/identity link in relation to cultural and tribal consumption. Her current research is focused on the body, strategies for resisting the market place and non-conformist consumption. The second area of interest is the application and development of qualitative research methodologies and in particular grounded theory.
She has published her work in numerous leading journals and is the author of a book on grounded theory and co-author of 'Critical Marketing: Defining the Field'. She is on the editorial review board for European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Consumption Markets and Culture, Marketing Theory and Journal of Place Management.
Keele's programme of Inaugural Lectures are given by newly established professors within the University and aim to give an illuminating account of the speaker's own subject specialism. The lectures, which start at 6 pm in the Westminster Theatre, are chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett.
This lecture is free and open to all.