Track chairs
Susanna Molander, Stockholm University
Aya Aboelenien, HEC Montréal
Zahra Sharifonnasabi, Queen Mary University of London
Rodrigo Castilhos, SKEMA Business School
Hanna Leipämaa-Leskinen, University of Vaasa

The Competitive Papers track invites empirical and conceptual papers. Submissions should generally follow a journal manuscript format, including introduction, research question or goal, literature review/theoretical background, methods, preliminary findings, and discussion/contributions.

• Maximum length: 3,000 words, excluding references, figures, and/or tables.
• One table or figure may be included and is not counted in the word limit.
• File format: Word or PDF.
• No author information should be included in the submitted document or document properties.
• Page 1: title and short abstract, maximum 50 words.
• Pages 2 onward: body of the paper and references.
• Format: double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins for US Letter or 2.5 cm margins for A4.
• Referencing: papers must be correctly referenced using the APA style guide.
• All submissions undergo double-blind peer review.
• Accepted submissions will be grouped with other competitive papers in a 90-minute combined session.

Track chairs
Mikkel Nøjgaard, University of Southern Denmark
Roman Pavlyuchenko, University of Bath
Toni Eagar, Australian National University
Jack Waverley, University of Manchester
Henna Syrjälä, University of Vaasa

The Working Papers track is designed to develop and refine nascent, incomplete, or at-risk papers. Both conceptual and empirical work-in-progress submissions are welcome. Authors are encouraged to seek constructive feedback and early insights from peers.

• Types of WIP submissions:
  • Level 1: early-stage conceptualization with preliminary data and/or analysis, if empirical.
  • Level 2: later-stage work with data collection and/or analysis underway, clearer theoretical or methodological direction, or a more developed conceptual contribution.
• Maximum length: 2,500 words, excluding references, tables, and figures (including images).
• One table and one figure may be included. Figures here refers to conceptual models; images that are part of the data/findings are not counted.
• File format: Word or PDF.
• No author information should be included in the submitted document or document properties.
• Page 1: title, short abstract of maximum 50 words, and indication of Level 1 or Level 2.
• Pages 2 onward: body, references, figures/tables.
• Format: double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins for US Letter or 2.5 cm margins for A4.
• Referencing: papers must be correctly referenced using the APA style guide.
• All submissions undergo double-blind peer review.
• Accepted submissions will be grouped with other working papers in a 90-minute combined session. Presentations will be grouped thematically where possible.

Track chairs
Ahmed Benmecheddal, Université de Lorraine
Arthur Nguyen, Université de Rouen Normandie
Aleksandrina Atanasova, City St George’s, University of London
Jack Tillotson, University of Vaasa

We invite proposals for 90-minute sessions that include three or four thematically- or methodologically-focused papers. Proposals should present a compelling justification for the session, and specify thoughtful and thought-provoking questions on which the session discussant will focus. We especially encourage special sessions that focus on or relate to the conference theme.

Special Session submissions require two documents. Both documents should be in Word or PDF format, using 12 pt Times New Roman, with 1″ margins (US Letter) or 2.5 cm margins (A4), and 1.5 line spacing.

Document 1: main submission document. This document will undergo double-blind review. Please ensure all author identification is removed, and structure it as follows:

• Session title.
• Session description (500-word maximum) including: the topic, why it is of interest to conference attendees and the CCT community, and how the three or four papers fit together.
• Title and extended abstract for each of the three or four papers (1,000 words maximum per extended abstract); each paper may include one table or figure (not included in word limit).
• Final page(s): full reference list. References are not included in the word limit. Format references in APA style.

Document 2: supplementary submission document. Please include the following:

• Session title.
• Session abstract (50-word maximum).
• Name and affiliation of the person submitting the session; this person will be named as session chair if the submission is accepted.
• Name and affiliation of discussant (optional). Discussants are recommended for sessions with three papers and should commit to attending the session if it is accepted.
• For each of the three or four papers: title, short abstract (50 words maximum; this will appear in the conference program), and names and affiliations of authors.

All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review process. Accepted sessions will be presented in person. All presenting authors are required to attend the session, if accepted.

Track chairs
Hunter Jones, ESSEC Business School
Marian Makkar, RMIT University
Henri Weijo, Aalto University

We invite proposals for Focused Forums, which include roundtables, panel discussions, interactive workshops, special interest groups, seminars, professional development discussions, guided reflection sessions, etc. The Focused Forums track is designed as a ‘big tent’ to include interesting, relevant, meaningful, and productive gatherings of CCT members.

Focused Forums are not intended as venues to present original research or for primarily social/networking purposes. We encourage proposals that are conventional and/or unconventional and specifically invite proposals that relate to the conference theme. If you are unsure whether or how to propose a forum, please email the track chairs.

Suggestions/examples include:

• Workshop focused on method(s) or creating compelling figures for manuscripts.
• Seminar focused on a specific theory, or theorizing a concept such as race and/or gender.
• Special interest group focused on a substantive topic.
• Working-group session focused on collaboration and research program development around a topic.
• Professional development workshop focused on career stage, geographic region, mentoring, etc.
• Panel focused on diversity, inclusion, and/or equity in CCT.
• Roundtable focused on pedagogy (e.g., teaching CCT, decolonizing pedagogy).
• Professional development workshop focused on working with mainstream media.
• Guided reflection session focused on navigating the complexities and ethical considerations of inclusive research, how to work with (and not on) vulnerable populations.
• Interactive workshop on constructive critique, focused on equipping participants with the skill and insight to write reviews that are constructive and supportive as well as critical.
• Roundtable examining the use of Gen AI for CCT research.

Focused Forums will be open to all conference attendees. However, space may be limited depending on the size of the room.

Proposals should be in Word or PDF, 12 pt Times New Roman, with 1″ margins (US Letter) or 2.5 cm margins (A4), and 1.5 line spacing. The document must include the following information:

• Title and format (e.g., roundtables, panel discussions, interactive workshops, special interest groups, seminars, professional development discussions, guided reflection sessions); format names do not have precise meanings, so please choose the most suitable format type.
• Facilitators/chair(s): names and affiliations of individual(s) who will lead the forum.
• Panellists (if applicable): names and affiliations of individuals who will participate formally (e.g., with prepared remarks or material). This is required for a panel or roundtable, but not necessary for other formats. Individuals listed as panellists must commit to attending the conference if the forum is accepted.
• Summary: a short description (50 words maximum) that indicates the focus of the forum.
• Purpose: a description (500 words maximum) that includes who should attend your forum; why they should find your forum interesting; how the time will be used (e.g., discussion questions, activities); and what your participants will ‘take away’ from the forum. Tables, figures, appendices, and references are welcome and do not count toward the word limit.
• A focused forum should last for the duration of a session, i.e., 90 minutes.
• Participant preparation (if applicable): briefly describe the preparation required by individuals participating in your forum (e.g., readings, completing a survey, sharing documents). Facilitators of accepted forum proposals will be able to revise this description and communicate more details to participants before the conference.

Focused forums will not be published in the conference proceedings.

Track chairs
Pelin Geyik, SKEMA Business School
Niklas Vallström, Örebro University
Nina Mesiranta, Tampere University

We invite submissions of original, in-progress research for presentation in poster format. By original research, we mean work that has not previously been published or presented in its current form. The research does not need to be completed at the time of submission and may therefore involve ongoing theorizing, data collection or analysis, or preliminary findings. The printed posters will be displayed during the Poster-Mingle session at the conference. This track provides the opportunity for the visual display of theorizing, data, and concepts in a setting designed to generate feedback and help further develop ideas for future research and foster collaboration.

For the review process, authors should submit a text-based extended abstract rather than the poster itself. Submissions should be in Word or PDF format, using 12 pt Times New Roman, with 1″ margins (US Letter) or 2.5 cm margins (A4), and 1.5 line spacing. No author information should be included in the submission. Please ensure author information is deleted from the document properties.

Submission documents must include:

• Title.
• Short abstract (50 words maximum).
• Extended abstract (1,000 words maximum); this should include a brief description of the research problem and/or questions, relevant literature, methods (in-progress or completed, if applicable), findings (if applicable), and contributions.
• One figure or table (optional; not included in the word limit).
• References (not included in the word limit) formatted in APA style.

All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review process. Accepted authors will subsequently prepare a poster for in-person presentation during the Poster-Mingle session. Instructions and formatting requirements for the poster will be provided prior to the conference.

Track chairs
Leighanne Higgins, Dublin City University
Shona Bettany, University of Huddersfield
Johanna Horppu, Tampere University
Catharina von Koskull, University of Vaasa

Art in consumer research is inherently about the researcher as an artist, or a researcher using art as a method or methodology. Yet it is also social when groups or communities come together to engage in shared inquiries, act as critical friends, articulate an evolution of research questions, and present their creative works to others.

Art is one of the many innovative forms of arts-based inquiry and uses art to reflect on one’s positionality in relation to other human, non-human, and more-than-human subjects in the study, to gather and analyze data, and/or to present and disseminate research findings within and beyond the academe. It opens up possibilities for co-creation of multi-sensory, multi-faceted, experiential, intersubjective and rhizomatic understandings of the research, not only among researchers, but also with research participants and art enthusiasts. Relationality is intrinsic in art.

We invite CCT researchers to courageously embrace and embody the interwoven identities as an artist, a researcher and a teacher, when thinking about research through media and senses beyond the traditional forms of mainstream interpretive research. We extend this call to CCT researchers who are compelled to step outside of their comfort zone, to experiment with different art forms or combine traditions, to re-create, re-imagine, and re-learn ways of understanding, appreciating, and representing their research.

Submission guidelines

For the Art Track, we welcome CCT-inspired work created or communicated through visual and/or photographic aesthetic forms. We invite work in such forms as photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation art, textile art (e.g. tapestries, weaving, embroidery, knitting, and crocheting) and mixed media.

There are no size restrictions other than what can be reasonably transported and displayed. The track chairs will work with the conference organizers to ensure space requirements, but participants will be personally responsible for any costs of transport and display of pieces.

Submissions for this track should be made through Oxford Abstracts. You may author a maximum of two artwork submissions and two photography submissions (maximum of four in total). Each submission must be accompanied by a 500-word abstract (see detailed requirements below). Please note that the abstract plays a central role in the review process.

A curated selection of artworks, including photography, will be accepted for display in an art gallery format during the conference. There will also be a dedicated session in which artists are invited to provide a 5 to 10-minute explanation about their work, the creative process and the research behind it.

Artworks

• Submit no more than two artwork entries as digital images of your work via Oxford Abstracts, with a 500-word companion abstract. Please combine your images and companion abstract in one submission document.
• One entry may consist of multiple images or components (e.g., a series of sculptures) but may not exceed five images/components.
• Partially completed work (e.g., sketches, partial paintings, or sculptures) may be submitted, provided the submission clearly shows what the final piece will look like. These will be accepted conditionally, pending submission of final images by 1 May 2027.

Photography

• Submit no more than two photography entries via Oxford Abstracts, with a 500-word companion abstract. Please combine your images and companion abstract in one submission document.
• One entry may consist of multiple images (e.g., a photo collage) but may not exceed five images.
• Photography should capture an aspect of your research in a way that communicates quickly and effectively to a varied audience.

A judges’ choice award and a people’s choice award will be granted to both the best artwork and the best photograph.

Abstract requirements (for all submissions)

Maximum of 500 words. Abstracts must contain:

1. Identification of the mode of participation (artwork or photography).
2. A brief description of the research on which the submission is based (e.g., research topic, context, theoretical toolkit, methods, findings, contributions).
3. A description of the artwork or photography, including: aesthetic aspects (what it looks like); expected dimensions and display requirements; how the work was created and who participated; how the work relates to the theme of the conference; and how the work relates to and enriches the CCT research/theories on which it was based.

Ethics and fair use statement

If people are identifiable in the artwork or photographs, written consent must be obtained from those individuals for their images to be used. Please ensure all imagery/materials/elements used are legally owned by the submitter/s. Where others’ work or AI-mediated work has been incorporated, this must be declared, and full rights to use someone else’s work as part of your submission must be secured prior to display. The responsibility lies with the creator/s and submitter/s.

Track chairs
Joonas Rokka, emlyon business school
Finola Kerrigan, University of Birmingham
Cleret Baptiste, Université de Rouen Normandie

The 2027 Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) Conference invites innovative films and videographic works that explore, question, and advance understandings of consumer culture through the expressive power of moving images.

The CCT Film Festival Track celebrates creative scholarship that engages with consumer culture through visual and sensory storytelling. Research films and videographies offer a distinctive means of inquiry and communication, translating complex ideas about consumption, identity, and the marketplace into aesthetic, embodied, and affective forms.

We welcome complete, self-standing research films and videographic works that engage with the themes, practices, and sensibilities of consumer culture. We particularly encourage submissions that experiment with narrative, method, and form to reveal new ways of seeing and knowing consumer culture.

Submission guidelines

Each author may submit no more than two videography entries. Submissions are made via Oxford Abstracts and must include a 500-word extended abstract containing a link to the video hosted on Vimeo or YouTube. To ensure a blind review, please remove all author-identifying information from the video file and its credits.

In addition to the general submission requirements, film submissions should include:

• Title: the title that will appear in the conference program.
• Abstract (50 words maximum): a concise summary for the conference program, emphasizing the film’s central contribution or provocation.
• Authors: each author’s full name, email address, and institutional affiliation. Indicate the order of authors and specify who will serve as corresponding author and/or presenter.
• Film (20 minutes maximum): upload the film to Vimeo or YouTube and provide a password-protected viewing link. Include both the link and password in your submission. To ensure blind review, please remove all author information from the film and its credits.

Extended abstract (500 words maximum)

A structured extended abstract should situate the film within the broader field of consumer culture research and address the following questions:

1. What contribution to knowledge does the film seek to make?
2. Which body of literature or theoretical conversation does it build on or draw inspiration from?
3. How, when, and why was the film created?
4. What filmmaking and/or methodological approach was used?
5. Who participated in its creation?

Authors are reminded to ensure proper copyright permissions for all visual and audio materials used. A helpful resource can be found here.

Film presentation

Accepted films will be featured in dedicated viewing sessions during the conference. At least one author of each accepted film must attend the session to introduce the work, respond to questions, and participate in the discussion.

Authors may be asked to revise their films in response to feedback from reviewers and the Film Festival co-chairs. A brief statement describing how the comments were addressed (or not) will accompany the final submission.

By 15 May 2027, authors of accepted films should submit:

• A short trailer (1 to 2 minutes) for public viewing on Vimeo (unprotected by password);
• The final version of the film; and
• An updated abstract or brief text commentary, if applicable.

Trailers will be showcased on the conference website alongside abstracts to highlight the diversity and creativity of videographic scholarship within the CCT community. All authors must agree to make their films accessible through the conference website following the event.

Track chairs
Jennifer Takhar, SKEMA Business School
Pilar Rojas Gaviria, KEDGE Business School

The poetry session is a regular and cherished feature of the CCT Conference.

Participating poets perform original work inspired by their reflections on consumer culture. This year, we invite contributors to submit one regular poem and one haiku, offering a dynamic blend of expressive and minimalist forms. In the words of Robert Spiess, “(a) haiku is an up to a breath-length poem in which two, rarely three, objects in a now-moment of awareness are juxtaposed so that each enhances one’s appreciation of the other and together they evoke a felt depth, insight, or intuition of the suchness of things.” Our invitation is to be playful and curious about the haiku form. This year, a surprise guest will support us in a preliminary workshop just before the performance to enhance our poetic form.

Track chairs will publish a volume of the poetry and haiku so that audience members can engage more deeply with the work. Submissions must include:

1. An author page with complete contact information and the titles of the submitted pieces.
2. The poem and haiku, each beginning on a fresh page with no identifying author information.

Evaluation criteria

Originality and imagination. “The overall feel of each piece, its individuality, its freshness, its capacity to charm and surprise.” (Weldon, 2009: 172)

Expression and performance potential. Expression includes an assessment of how the poems succeeded in what the author meant to do: make you laugh, or cry, feel pity or outrage, whatever, working through the original idea to good effect. (adapted from Weldon, 2009: 172)

Maturity. Evaluates the degree to which the CCT ethos and topics are well represented in the creative pieces. Does the work address cultural aspects of consumption and/or markets? Does it speak in a way that traditional prose cannot?

How to submit

Please submit your work directly to the track chairs via email to poetrytrackcct2026@gmail.com by the submission deadline. The email address with 2026 in it is not a mistake.

Hilary Downey Award

This year, the best poetry in the conference will be awarded the Hilary Downey Award in honour of our beloved Hilary. Authors of papers submitted to the poetry track at the Consumer Culture Theory Conference will automatically be entered for the annual Hilary Downey Poetry Award. One paper will be selected as the “best poetry,” as would have been determined by Hilary.

Track chairs
Varala Maraj, University of Bath
Kushagra Bhatnagar, Aalto University

We invite submissions to a new experimental track for the first time at the Consumer Culture Theory Conference, Academic Satire: a space where research meets ridicule, and the trials and tribulations of being an academic finally get the parody they deserve. This is your chance to craft a short, humorous “spin-off” article that captures the spirit of academic life with irony, exaggeration, and wit, things us academics all have up our sleeves.

Submission guidelines

Pieces should read like mini features or mock news articles, in the style of Private Eye or The Onion. They may take inspiration from:

• Your current or past research projects (with just a touch of creative mischief)
• A prospective project that surely deserves a grant (the application for which you may or may not get around to submitting)
• A commentary on your field’s latest obsessions, trends, or contradictions (think of your latest eyerolls)
• A think piece that no reviewer would ever actually approve

Suggested themes

Feel free to riff on, or completely reinvent, one of the following themes:

• “This is a combination of what all the reviewers wanted.”
• “These are the quotes I wish I had.”
• “You thought you were sick of this topic… but wait, there’s more!”
• Or propose your own take on the absurdities of scholarly life.

Submission details

• Word count: 400 to 1,000 words
• Format: text only (no figures or citations necessary, unless used for comedic effect)
• Tone: satirical, insightful, and recognizably “academic”
• Submission should be done through Oxford Abstracts.