The Theorization Seminar
Doctoral Seminar on Consumption, Markets, and Culture Theorization
3-7 June 2024
Ankara, Turkey
This is a five day long intensive seminar that emphasizes mid-range and contextualized theory in the socio-cultural and critical approaches to marketing and consumption. The intended audience is doctoral students and junior faculty members; however, anyone interested is welcome.
The seminar is part of the European Doctoral School on Consumer Culture Theorizing (for details see https://www.cctweb.org/doctoral-seminars). We have been running this seminar biennially since 2005 in Ankara, initially by Bilkent University and from 2019 onwards by the Middle East Technical University.
Objectives of the Seminar:
1. Participants will learn of various ways of framing and conceptualizing research in relation to the existing literature as well as of theorizing grounded in data. Speakers and participants discuss their
own routes of crafting research questions and generating theoretical contributions.
2. The readings and discussions will center on mid-range, contextualized theory in the field of consumption, markets, and marketing studies and Consumer Culture Theoretics (CCT). Participants will hear of interdisciplinary and critical perspectives in theorization, drawing on marketing, anthropology, sociology, communication, and cultural and gender studies. The speakers will emphasize the historical, socio-cultural, and political-economic dimensions and challenges of understanding consumption and markets beyond the global north.
3. With its focus on theorization towards publication and knowledge dissemination, participants will learn of the expectations of international journals and their review processes. In addition to the mentors sharing their own paths of theorization and publishing, there will be a faculty panel on “how to (conceptualize in order to) publish” research papers.
Seminar Coordinators:
Eminegül Karababa, Department of Business Administration, Middle East Technical University, eminegul@metu.edu.tr
Guliz Ger, Faculty of Business Administration, Bilkent University, ger@bilkent.edu.tr
Berna Tarı Kasnakoğlu, Department of Business Administration, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, btari@etu.edu.tr
Olga Kravets, School of Business and Management, Royal Holloway, University of London,
Meltem Türe, Department of Business Administration, TOBB University of Economics and
Technology, mture@etu.edu.tr
Mentors who have already committed:
Russell W. Belk, York University, Canada
Delphine Dion, ESSEC Business School, France
Güliz Ger, Bilkent University, Turkey
Markus Giesler, York University, Canada
Eminegül Karababa, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
Dannie Kjeldgaard, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Olga Kravets, University of Royal Holloway, UK
Hope Schau, University of California, Irvine, USA
Léna Pellandini Simanyi, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Switzerland
Meltem Türe, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Turkey
Location: Litai Hotel, Ankara Turkey
Seminar Application and Participant Selection:
Selection will be based on the letter of interest, which is expected to address the student’s
research interests and the fit of this seminar with their doctoral studies. The letter of interest
should be around 1000 words. Letters of interest should be sent to cmctseminar@gmail.com as attachments to e-mail messages. The deadline for applications is 22 March 2024.
Seminar Program:
The program consists of lectures, panels, presentations, group work, and mentor meetings.
Participants will receive a reading list upon registering for the seminar. The participants are
strongly recommended to do the readings before they come to the seminar. On the evening of 2 June 2024, the seminar will start with a welcoming reception at Litai Hotel and will end 7 June 2024. The details of the program will be announced later.
Other Information:
The seminar will be held in English and equals to 6 ECTS credits. The number of participants is limited to 30.
Participants are free to choose to receive credit or not. Those who wish to receive course credit will present their research projects on the first day of the seminar and will submit a reflection paper at the end of the seminar. They will be evaluated based on their presentation, participation in discussions and mentor meetings, and the capacity shown in enriching their perspective. We provide a certificate confirming the workload for the seminar is equivalent to 6 ECTS credits including self-study, 30 hrs lectures and mentor meetings, oral presentation, and the written submission.
The tuition and fees for the seminar is approximately 800 Euros. The tuition and fees will cover for participation in the seminar, accommodation, breakfasts, lunches, the welcoming reception, and a gala dinner.