Shifts and turns
I read a great blog post by Patter about having to adjust the planned trajectory of your research to work around the obstacles that come across your path. This connected with me on multiple fronts: I sometimes get concerned that, each time I draft a paper or a presentation, I am slightly adjusting my research…
Research approach
My research aims to provide a better understanding of the Disney-plastic assemblage and to propose more environmentally responsible alternatives to existing plastic practices to reduce plastic waste at Disney theme parks. As supported by Latour (2005) and DeLanda (2006), no individual or decision exists in isolation, all situations and positions are influenced by human and…
Tackling a presentation
Giving a presentation is not one of my favourite things to do. I hate standing up in front of people and having my words tumble over the top of each other. I am much happier being in the background and working on a written document. But, being able to present in front of peers and…
Stakeholders and research impact
There is an inherent risk in PhD research to become very insular and self-centred. After all, you need to focus intently on one very small problem for a long time. To do this you also need to reduce, or at least balance, other distractions in your life. You limit time with family and friends so…
Status update
I am at a significant milestone in my PhD candidature and my work life. First my PhD. I recently submitted my Confirmation of Candidature (CoC). At my presentation the panel recommended minor modifications, which I made then resubmitted. My CoC is now finalised. I can progress with my PhD as proposed (hooray!). While the CoC…
Visions for Epcot
Walt Disney’s (Walt) original vision for Epcot – the Experimental Protype Community of Tomorrow – was a city of the future ‘where residents would live and work and test new, innovative products’ (Bodden 2009:32). Walt died before he could make his vision a reality. When the park eventually opened in October 1982 it was largely…
Disney and plastic materiality
The Walt Disney Company (Disney) and plastic are ubiquitous. While the former demands our attention the success of the other is demonstrated in the fact that it has become so common that it is often ignored. Disney and plastic both experienced incredible growth in popularity in the post WWII economic boom. Both are often labelled as fake. Disney has been described as presenting a ‘Disneyfied’ aesthetic, an inauthentic…
Finding a theory
I have been advised that I need to define the theoretical basis for my research, but I struggle with the concept of picking one theory that will frame my research. None of my thinking up to this point has been based in any particular theory and much of the literature overwhelms me. A combination of…
Connecting with theory
I have spent the past 20 years in the public sector focussing on Plain English writing. Stepping back into academia, it feels like everyone is speaking a different language. Nearly six months into my PhD candidature there are still moments when I feel completely out of my depth. There are theorists that I have heard…
The Disney influence
What amazes me the most about the story of Disney is the number of setbacks and perceived failures that have occurred throughout the company’s nearly 100 years and yet it has continued to grow from humble cartoon beginnings into the empire it is today. I think there are some lessons in this for everyone. In 1923 brothers Walt and Roy…
Plastic waste
I read an Instagram post the other day @lowtoxlife that quoted the number of plastic bottles produced by Coca-Cola (120 billion/year and the world’s top plastic polluter according to @greenpeace) and suggested that the best option to address this for people and planet was to stop consuming the ultra-processed food that they produce. I completely agree, except that I…
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