Craft Brewed: Identity Work in Emerging Markets

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 17. Identity

Abstract

While work in advanced capitalist democracies appears to become more polarized along the lines of precarity, meaning, rewards, and the general satisfaction workers may enjoy, the consumer economy continues to grow more vibrant, varied, and flexible to consumer demand. This paper proposes a study that examines an emerging context where the culture surrounding the consumptive processes may "feedback" into the workplaces which produce, and make possible, that consumption: craft beer. Could we be seeing the emergence of workplaces where low wage, low skilled work is made more interesting, stable, and meaningful because it is closely embedded in the consumer culture surrounding it? This paper argues identity work may be used to examine the potential cultural overlap between consumptive and productive spheres in craft beer markets. Semi-structured and unstructured interviews, along with case study and observation techniques, are proposed to examine narratives in the production and consumption of craft beer in a North Carolina community.

Author

• Christopher Shane Elliott, University of North Carolina