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Zeynep Arsel

  • Professor, Marketing
  • Concordia University Research Chair in Consumption, Markets, and Society

Contact information

Availability:

Available by appointment

Biography

I received my PhD in Marketing from University of Wisconsin-Madison with minors in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology. I also hold a MBA degree from Middle East Technical University and a BSc in Management from Bilkent University. My current research explores two separate streams: 1) Taste and its shaping of markets, products, everyday practices, and social boundaries; 2) The intersection of technology and markets and its implications for society.

I am an Associate Editor at the Journal of Consumer Research and serve in the editorial Board of Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management, and Recherche et Applications en Marketing.

I was the 2011 recipient of Petro Canada Young Innovator Award in the Strategic Research Cluster “The Person and Society,” 2012 Sidney J. Levy Award, and Outstanding Reviewer Award for Journal of Consumer Research, in 2014 and then 2017.

My work has been funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture, Association for Consumer Research, Marketing Science Institute, and was featured in Wall Street Journal, Globe and Mail, WIRED, Psychology Today, Vice, Harper’s Magazine, Montreal Gazette, L’Actualite, Vancouver Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Calgary Herald, The Star Phoenix, Canada.com, Le Devoir, La Presse, Miller Mc-Cune, Wisconsin Public Radio, CBC Radio, Profit Magazine, Flavorwire, Isthmus Magazine, Yahoo News, LiveScience and numerous blogs.

Education

PhD (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
MBA (Middle East Technical University)
BSc (Bilkent University)

Areas of Expertise

Taste        
Platforms
Markets

Graduate student supervision

I am interested in supervising MSc and PhD students on topics of branding, social media, aesthetic and taste, and platforms. 

Letters of Recommendation

Former and current students: If you would like to ask for a letter of recommendation, I strongly suggest you to check this website before sending me a request.
View Zeynep Arsel's CV

Publications

Edited Books

Taste, Consumption and Markets (2018), eds. Zeynep Arsel and Jonathan Bean, Routledge, NY 

Gendering Theory in Marketing and Consumer Research (2017), eds. Zeynep Arsel, Kirsi Eräranta, Johanna Moisander, Routledge, NY (Originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Marketing Management)

Refereed Journal Articles

Pomiès, Anissa and Zeynep Arsel (forthcoming) “Market Work and the Formation of the Omnivorous Consumer Subject,” Journal of Consumer Research 

Dolbec, Pierre-Yann, Zeynep Arsel, and Aya Aboelenien (2022), “A Practice Perspective on Market Evolution: How Craft and Commercial Coffee Firms Expand Practices and Develop Markets,” Journal of Marketing 

Aboelenien, Aya, Zeynep Arsel (2022), “Meat: Historicizing an Icon through Marketplace Contestations.” Consumption, Markets, & Culture

Aboelenien, Aya, Zeynep Arsel and Charles Cho (2021), “Passing the Buck vs. Sharing Responsibility: The Roles of Government, Firms and Consumers in Marketplace Risks during COVID-19,” Journal of the Association for Consumer Research (Aboelenien and Arsel listed alphabetically with equal contributions, lead article)


Martineau, Eric and Zeynep Arsel (2017) “Managing Communities of Co-Creation around Consumer Engagement Styles,” Journal of the Association for Consumer Research

Debenedetti, Alain, Harmen Oppewal and Zeynep Arsel (2014), “Place Attachment in Commercial Settings: A Gift Economy Perspective, ” Journal of Consumer Research, 40 (February), 904-923.

Arsel, Zeynep and Jonathan Bean (2013) “Taste Regimes and Market-Mediated Practice,” Journal of Consumer Research, 39 (February), 899-917 (lead article).

Arsel, Zeynep and Craig J. Thompson (2011) “Demythologizing Consumption Practices: How Consumers Protect their Field-Dependent Identity Investments From Devaluing Marketplace Myths,” Journal of Consumer Research, 37 (February), 791-806.

Thompson, Craig J., Aric Rindfleisch and Zeynep Arsel (2006) “Emotional Branding and the Strategic Value of the Doppelgänger Brand Image”, Journal of Marketing, 1(January), 50-64.

Thompson, Craig J. and Zeynep Arsel, (2004) “The Starbucks Brandscape and Consumers’ (Anti-Corporate) Experiences of Glocalization”, Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (December), 631-643.

Invited Publications

Arsel, Zeynep, David Crockett and Maura Scott (2021), “A Curation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” in Journal of Consumer Research

Pomiès, Anissa, Zeynep Arsel and Jonathan Bean (2020), “Taste,” in Consumption, Markets & Culture

Arsel, Zeynep (2017), “Asking Questions with Reflexive Focus: A Tutorial on Designing and Conducting Interviews,” Journal of Consumer Research (also translated to Brazilian Portuguese as “Fazendo Perguntas Com Um Foco Reflexivo: Um Guia Para o Planejamento e Condução de Entrevistas” in Revista Interdisciplinar de Marketing, Vol 8, No 2 (2018))

Arsel, Zeynep, Kirsi Eräranta and Johanna Moisander (2015) “Introduction: Theorising Gender and Gendering Theory in Marketing and Consumer Research,” Journal of Marketing Management, 31:15-16, 1553-1558

Book Chapters

Shamayleh*, Ghalia and Zeynep Arsel (forthcoming), “From Blogs to Platforms: Content Landscape and Affordances,” in Routledge Handbook of Digital Consumption” in Routledge Handbook of Digital Consumption

Arsel, Zeynep and Jonathan Bean (2018), “Social Distinction and Practices of Taste,” in Consumer Culture Theory, eds. Eric Arnould and Craig Thompson, Sage.

Pomiès Anissa and Zeynep Arsel (2018), “Retracing the History of the Concept of Taste,” in Taste Consumption and Markets: An Interdisciplinary Volume eds. Zeynep Arsel and Jonathan Bean, New York, Routledge. 

Arsel, Zeynep (2015), “Assembling Markets and Value,” in Assembling Consumption: The Handbook of Assemblage Theories in Marketing and Consumer Research , eds. Robin Canniford and Domen Bajde, New York, Routledge.

Arsel, Zeynep and Scott Stewart (2015), “Identity Degrading Brands,” in Strong Brands, Strong Relationships,  eds. Susan Fournier, Michael Breazeale, and Jill Avery, New York, Routledge

Arsel, Zeynep and Xin Zhao (2013), “Blogs,” in The Routledge Companion to Digital Consumption, eds. Russell Belk and Rosa Llamas, New York: Routledge.

Teaching activities

Introduction to Marketing, Undergraduate
Consumer Behavior, Undergraduate
Strategic Brand Management, MBA
Qualitative Research Methods, MSc and PhD

Participation activities

Refereed Conference Proceedings

Dolbec, Pierre-Yann, Zeynep Arsel and Aya Aboelenien* (forthcoming), “How Taste Practices Become More Complex,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, Online, Oct 2021

Arsel, Zeynep, Maria Carolina Zanette, Sarah Herchet*, Carolina da Rocha Melo* (forthcoming), “Influencers, Content Markets, and Institutional Work,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, Online, Oct 2021\\

Arsel, Zeynep, Maria Carolina Zanette, Sarah Herchet*, Carolina da Rocha Melo* (forthcoming), “The Impossible Profession of Being an Influencer,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, Online, Oct 2021

Aboelenien, Aya* and Zeynep Arsel (2020), “Building a Bridge How Immigrant Parents Strategically Build Dual-Habitus for Their Children,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, Paris, Oct 2020

Shamayleh, Ghalia* and Zeynep Arsel (2020), “Orchestrating Pet Influencers: Rhetorical and Visual Strategies in Creating Mediated Platform Content,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, Paris, Oct 2020

Aboelenien, Aya and Zeynep Arsel (2019), " My Vegan Journey: How My New Morality Shaped My Relationship with my Family, Friends and the Market,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, Atlanta, Oct 2019

Dolbec, Pierre-Yann, Zeynep Arsel and Aya Aboelenien (2019), “Market Aestheticization: How Markets Grow through Value Chain 2020,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, Atlanta, Oct 2019

Aboelenien, Aya and Zeynep Arsel (2019), “How Adopting New Moralized Consumption Practices Shapes Social and Market Relations,” Consumer Culture Theory Conference, Montreal, July 2019

Dolbec, Pierre-Yann, Zeynep Arsel and Aya Aboelenien (2019), “Market Aestheticization: How Commodities Are Transformed into Valuable Aesthetic Products,” Consumer Culture Theory Conference, Montreal, July 2019

Arsel, Zeynep and Jonathan Bean (2018) “Palatial Domesticities: The Material Practices of the Very Wealthy”, Consumer Culture Theory Conference, Odense, July 2018

Pomiés, Anissa and Zeynep Arsel (2018), “Performative Market Interactions and the Shaping of Taste Regimes”, Consumer Culture Theory Conference, Odense Denmark, July 2018

Pomiès Anissa and Zeynep Arsel (2016), “There is Disputing about Taste: Genealogy of a Contested Concept”, Consumer Culture Theory Conference, July 2016, Lille, France (Winner, Best Special Session Award)

Linnet, Jeppe Trolle and Zeynep Arsel (2014) “"The Moment of Entry: A Phenomenological Exploration of the Experience of Social Buzz," Consumer Culture Theory Conference, June 2014, Helsinki, Finland 

Bean, Jonathan and Zeynep Arsel (2013), “Understanding Mediated Practices: Combining Ethnographic Methods with Blog Data to Develop Insights,” Ethnography in Praxis Conference, Sept 2013, London UK.

Arsel, Zeynep (2013), “Collaborative Redistribution Systems and Value Creation,” European Marketing Academy 2013 Conference, June 2013, Istanbul, Turkey (accepted, however not presented).

Stewart, Scott and Zeynep Arsel (2013), “Degrading Brands and Consumer Brand Relationships,” Consumer Brand Relationships Conference, May 2013, Boston, MA.

Mérigot, Philippe, Alain Debenedetti, and Zeynep Arsel (2013) “The Porous Nature of Places: An Economies of Worth Perspective," 7th Workshop On Interpretive Consumer Research, April 2013, Brussels, Belgium.

Arsel, Zeynep, Alain Debenedetti and Philippe Mérigot (2012), “The Dynamics and Continuity of Place Attachment: Cues from a Parisian Wine Bar,” Association for Consumer Research 2012 Conference, October 2012, Vancouver, Canada.

Martineau, Eric and Zeynep Arsel (2012) “A Typology of Crowdsourcing Participation Styles”, Association for Consumer Research 2012 Conference, October 2012, Vancouver, Canada.

Debenedetti, Alain, Philippe Mérigot and Zeynep Arsel (2012) “Continuity and Transfer of Place Attachment: An Ethnographic Exploration, "European Marketing Academy 2012 Conference, May 2012, Lisbon, Portugal.

Arsel, Zeynep and Susan Dobscha (2011), “Hybrid Pro-social Exchange Systems: The Case of Freecycle,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, October 2011, St Louis, MO, USA.

Zhao, Xin and Zeynep Arsel (2011) “Food Blogs and Consumer Culture," 2011 Asia-Pacific Conference of Association for Consumer Research Conference, June 2011, Beijing, China.

Debenedetti, Alain, Philippe Mérigot and Zeynep Arsel (2011) “The Continuation of Place Attachment Experience Through Time and Space: The “Coin De Verre” Case," 6th Workshop On Interpretive Consumer Research, May 2011, Odense, Denmark.

Arsel, Zeynep and Jonathan Bean (2010) “Networked Styles and Normalizing Taste Narratives,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, October 2010, Jacksonville, FL, USA.

Arsel, Zeynep and Xin Zhao (2010) “Personal Blogging, Performance and the Quest for Fame,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, October 2010, Jacksonville, FL, USA.

Arsel, Zeynep and Susan Dobscha (2010) “Local Acts, Global Impacts?: Examining the Pro-Social, Non-Reciprocal Nature of Freecyclers, ” European Association for Consumer Research Conference, July 2010, London, UK.

Arsel, Zeynep and Jonathan Bean (2010) “Collective Taste Making: Analyzing Apartment Therapy Narrative,” Consumer Culture Theory Conference, June 2010, Madison, WI, USA.

Arsel, Zeynep (2009) “Exploring the Social Dynamics of Online Bartering,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, October 2009, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Arsel, Zeynep and Craig J. Thompson (2008) “I Might Consume Like a Hipster, but I am not a Hipster: Myth Markets and Consumer Reflexivity,” Consumer Culture Theory Conference, June 2008, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA.

Arsel, Zeynep and Craig J. Thompson (2005) “Consuming It Cool: Status Multiplicity and Contextualized Cultural Capital,” European Association for Consumer Research Conference, June 2005, Göteborg, Sweden.
Thompson, Craig J and Zeynep Arsel (2003) “Consumers’ Experiences of Glocalization in a Hegemonic Brandscape: The Case of Starbucks and Local Coffee Shop Culture,” Association for Consumer Research Conference, October 2003, Toronto, Canada.

Arsel, Zeynep (2002), “Consuming ‘by’ taste or consuming taste: A Revisit to Bourdieu’s Distinction,“ Association for Consumer Research Conference, Oct 2002, Atlanta, GA.

Invited Colloquiums and Workshops

“How to Get Published: Peer Reviews,” Panelist, GradProSkills, Concordia University, (Feb, 2021)

“Early Career Mentoring Workshop,” Panelist, Association for Consumer Research Conference, (Oct, 2020)
“Reflexive Interviewing,” Presenter, EPIC Webinar (June 2020)
“How to Make a Contribution,” Presenter, Doctoral Seminar on Consumption Markets Culture Theorization, Turkey (2019)
“How to Make a Contribution,” Presenter, Association for Consumer Research Doctoral Consortium, San Diego, Oct 2017 
“Work-life Balance,” Keynote, ANZMAC Doctoral Colloquium, Brisbane, Dec 2014
“Coding,” Presenter, Consumer Culture Theory Qualitative Data Analysis Workshop, June 2015


Invited Talks

2021
NEOMA Business School Workshop on Body (keynote), June 2021
EMLYON Taste Research Day, May 2021
University of Southern Denmark, May 2021
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, April 2021
Walrus Talks, March 2021
Schulich School of Business, March 2021

2020
JACR Flash COVID-19 Issue Webinar, Dec 2020
Concordia University at Home Webinar, Oct 2020
Stockholm School of Economics, Sept 2020 (Postponed due to COVID-19)
University of Michigan Luxury Summer School, July 2020

2019
University of Birmingham, October 2019
Northwestern University, April 2019

2018
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Marketing Camp), September 2018
Wilfrid Laurier University, Feb 2018
University of Arizona (Lisle & Roslyn Payne Research Symposium), Jan 2018

2017
Universite Paris Est, June 2017
Schulich School of Business, April 2017

2016
Stockholm Business School, June 2016

2015
The Walrus Talks- Being Human, Ottawa, 29 April 2015

2014
Universite Paris-Est, April 2014
Chicago Consumer Culture Community, Chicago, April 2014
Schulich School of Business, April 2014

2013
University of Melbourne, Nov 2013
City University of London, Sept 2013
University of Southern Denmark, Aug 2013
Anthropology of Markets and Consumption Conference, University of California at Irvine, March 2013

2012
Rochester Institute of Technology, Dec 2012
HEC Lausanne, Sept 2012

2011

Concordia University Faculty Research Excellence Showcase, Oct 2011
Universite Paris-Est, May 2011

2006
Concordia University
University of South Carolina
University of Warwick

Research activities

External Grants

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Grant (as PI) - 202,320

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
 Insight Development Grant (with Aya Aboelenien) - 61,630

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant (2014-2019) - $106,884

Fond Québécois de Recherche Sur la Société et Culture (FQRSC) Establishment of New Researchers Grant (2010-2013) - $38,300

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Standard Research Grant (2009-2012) - $53, 625

Association for Consumer Research Transformative Consumer Research Grant (2008) - $500

Guest Editor

Special Issue on Taste, in Consumption, Markets & Culture (2019)

Special Issue on Theorising Gender and Gendering Theory in Marketing and Consumer Research (2015)

Associate Editor

Journal of Consumer Research

Editorial Review Board Memberships

Journal of Marketing
Journal of Consumer Research
Journal of Marketing Management

Honours and Awards

Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Consumer Research (2014 and 2017)

The Sidney J. Levy Award, Best Article Based on a Consumer Culture Theory Dissertation (2012)

Petro Canada Young Innovator Award in the Strategic Research Cluster “The Person and Society’,” (2011)

MSI Alden G. Clayton Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Competition Honorable Mention (2005)

AMA Sheth Doctoral Consortium Fellow (2003)

Indiana University Annual Haring Symposium Fellow (2001 and 2002)

News & Press releases

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