Critical Studies in Food and Culture

Starbucks, Consumption and Globality
JeeEun Song

DATE: April 18th
TIME: 2:00-3:30PM
LOCATION: Voorhies 228, UC Davis


Join Critical Studies in Food and Culture research cluster for a discussion of Starbucks, Consumption and Globality with UC Davis Cultural Studies Ph.D Candidate JeeEun Song. Song will explore the business models and the preferred consumption codes of Starbucks in Korea. This work-in-progress asks us to consider: “To a nation in economic crisis and to those with many of their friends, family and parents out of jobs, what could be more inspiring than a success story of a man who established an empire with one cup at a time?”

This conversation is drawn from Song’s dissertation
“Building an Empire One Cup at a Time: Cultural Meaning and Power of Starbucks Korea”
which explores the gendered meaning of coffee consumption practices in Korea and the complex meanings attached to circumscribed leisure environments for negotiating the advent of “globality” including the global nature of social relationships and interdependencies and the continuing contradictions of U.S.-Korea relations.