Zeynep Arsel

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

Biography    Publications    Teaching activities    Participation activities    Research activities    News & Press releases   

Education

Areas of Expertise

• Taste
• Brands
• Gender
• Value and valuation
• Spaces of consumption

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

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

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

Aboelenien, Aya, Zeynep Arsel (forthcoming), “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

Book Chapters

Shamayleh*, Ghalia and Zeynep Arsel (forthcoming), “Blogs, Microblogs and Influencer Platforms,” 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.

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

Refereed Conference Proceedings

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

External Grants

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

CBC Tapestry interview with Mary Hynes

Click on the link for the interview "We can't solve an unethical economy with personal boycotts"

Consumption Tales Podcast

Interview (alongside Ghalia Shamayleh) on Companion Species Consumption 

Concordia news

Who is responsible for protecting communities facing the impacts of COVID-19?

It's not just big business — crowdsourcing creates a ‘win-win situation’

The boy in the Barbie commercial breaks down stereotypes … or does he?

The Walrus Talks- Living Better

The Walrus Talks: Doing taste