Taste and Organization Studies

Abstract

Using the example of the British fish and chip shop, I explore the socio-historical connections among culture, taste and organizations. Specifically, the British ‘chippie’ illustrates how cultural tastes affect our comprehension of organizations. In examining this occupation in depth, we see how the fish and chip shop reveals the ways class and cultural prejudices affect how an organization is perceived. Considering an organization’s history offers us a glimpse into how organizational tastes are shaped by broader social processes. Additionally, I explore taste and organizations through diverse theoretical lenses. First, the chippie constitutes an organizational example of Pierre Bourdieu’s contrast between taste as luxury and taste as necessity. Second, the work of Hannah Arendt highlights the intersubjective nature of taste, and its connection with judgement. Third, exploring taste with Antoine Hennion’s writings reveals the connection between practices and things. Examining taste through diverse theoretical lenses can thus open up productive lines of inquiry for taste and organizational studies.

Biomateriality and Organizing: Towards an Organizational Perspective on Food

“…Most people would never even consider tasting rotten shark, yet in Iceland this dish is a rare delicacy, although it is typically considered to be an acquired taste. The notion of ‘cuisine’ and its association with particular recipes, taste, aesthetics and traditions illustrates the production of food as a cultural object (Gardiner, 2019; Rao, Monin, & Durand, 2003). Thus, studying food as the object of organizing requires us to make sense of both the similarities and differences in tastes and traditions across cultural boundaries.…”

Virus interruptus: An Arendtian exploration of political world‐building in pandemic times

“…A return to the old normal is not the way forward; yet what our new normal looks like depends on the conversations we have together about the ethical dimensions of a new ecological and equitable politics that embraces all of us. Finally, as McMurray and Pullen (2019) note, Arendt’s work has been rarely taken up in organizational studies, although this lacunae is beginning to change (Bloom, 2019; Gardiner, 2018, 2019; Gardiner & Fulfer, 2017). As feminist scholars whose work engages with Arendt across a range of organizational topics, we encourage other researchers to consider how thinking with Arendt can help us to reflect upon our interdependence not only with each other, but with the world.…”

Media Review: Tasting qualities: The past and future of tea

“…Since the process of grading tea is collaborative but ultimately consensual and submissive to expert tasters, Besky's account forms an interesting counterpart to the concept of nesting whereby producers translate multiple standards of quality in the pineapple industry (Arnold & Loconto, 2021). Moreover, Besky's detailing of the Nilhat tea brokerage lends support to Gardiner's (2019Gardiner's ( , p. 1551 argument that taste can be affected by organizational practices.…”