Free talk by Dr David Yates on the psychology of shopping and neoliberal capitalism, part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science.
Dr David Yates is taking the stage at Sheffield Tap on Tuesday 9 February for a talk called Why Did I Buy That? The psychology of consumerism. He's from the Management School, and the whole thing is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, so it's more of a public lecture than a casual chat.
He'll be looking at the psychological and structural forces that drive our shopping habits, and he's doing it by drawing on psychoanalytic theory. That means he'll be working with concepts like desire, identity, ideology and the unconscious to get at why we buy what we do. It's not just about the individual impulse, either; he'll be talking about the adaptability and persistence of neoliberal capitalism and how that fits into the picture.
If you've ever walked out of a shop wondering why you spent money on something you didn't really need, this is exactly the kind of thing that looks at the 'why' behind it. It's a bit of a dive into the subconscious side of the high street, and since it's part of a social science festival, it's aimed at a general audience rather than just people in the field.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Sheffield and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
It starts at 19:00 at Sheffield Tap, 1b Sheaf Street, in the city centre (S1 2BP). Entry is free, and tickets are distributed through Eventbrite, so you'll want to grab yours in advance.
