Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: For amateur musicians, the first trip to an instrument store can be enlightening. For others the trip can be alienating. For those steeped in rock culture and comfortable with demonstrating their technical knowledge, the experience can be a chance to solidify and demonstrate their identities as authentic musicians. Yet for others with different experiences, such as playing privately, knowing more about hip-hop than rock, or having classical training on the guitar rather than emersion in the rock music practice, the experience can be a struggle to comprehend the language and interactions of the environment. Finding themselves in this position, these musicians may defer to others to perform, speak and choose in their place. My interest in this paper has to do with how musical categories and technological knowledge are performed in the everyday setting of the music store in ways that are politically charged, lending some people considerable voice, presence and legitimacy and rendering other people silent, back-grounded and inauthentic. Through participant observation of three musical instrument stores, I construct an ethnography of the gendered and raced dynamics of rock music as they are constructed around the technologies used to make it.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Outsourcing the Company Store: Predatory Lending in Washington State
Abstract: This paper investigates whether predatory lending businesses, in particular payday lenders, pawn shops, and rent-to-own businesses, are more likely to be located in poor and minority communities in Washington State. The research presented here differs from previous research in important ways. First, the data is presented at the census tract level, thereby allowing a more fine-grained accounting of the surrounding community. Second, rather than focusing upon one type of predatory lender, this research accounts for multiple types of lenders simultaneously. Third, the empirical results included here utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allowing a spatial accounting of these businesses and the communities within which they are situated.
The results presented here suggest that predatory lenders target poor and minority communities. In fact, we propose that this phenomenon is a modern day version of the old company store that once appeared in towns across the United States. The rise of predatory lending in modern-day inner cities is simply another form of indentured servitude for today’s working poor. The culprit is no longer the company store that owns the town, but rather they are independent capitalist business entities that prey upon individuals unable to make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck. The results presented here indicate that these businesses are disproportionately located in poor and minority communities in Washington State.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In light of stagnating wages and rising cost of living, we examine one middle-class coping strategy: a new ‘shadow economy’ (garage sales and secondhand and thrift stores). While part of the mainstream economy, these outlets have three important differences. They are tax-exempt, inexpensive, and more focused on interpersonal interaction than economic concerns (Herrmann 1984). This allows the middle class to meet housing and medical needs while maintaining their way of life. Using data collected from Utah Valley, Utah (n=595), we explore the relationship between social class and consumption/donation patterns. We find that what one shops for depends largely on social class. Those at the top of the continuum purchase trinkets and antiques at these outlets, while those on the bottom buy clothes and other essentials. Those in the middle tend to buy electronics and appliances at these stores, enabling them to maintain the middle-class appearance. As housing and medical costs continue to soar in the years ahead, these types of stores may play a pivotal role in class mobility and reproduction.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This analysis examines the ongoing conflict between Wal-Mart and labor unions. Based on two case studies - the "Wake Up Wal-Mart" and "Wal-Mart Watch" campaigns - I argue for the evolution of the traditional corporate campaign. Specifically, I argue that new forms of unionism incorporate a broad range of message strategies, take the form of a political of grassroots movement, and attempt to move large segments of American society.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: Rural grocery stores are a critical component of the rural infrastructure. Consolidation in the grocery store industry has resulted in the loss of many small town food stores. This gap in consumer food services has been replaced by new rural regional superstores such as WalMart, Kmart and Target. In this research we examine distances to out-of-county superstores and compare prices on 149 items drawn from the USDA Thrift Food Plan. While some items at the superstores were found to be less expensive or competitively priced, many items, such as 2% milk and white bread, were significantly higher priced. This pattern suggests that high demand items are likely to be more costly at the WalMart’s surveyed compared to neighboring rural grocery stores.