Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
This week I am headed to Seattle for the Society for Applied Anthropology’s Annual Meeting. The conference is in Seattle this year, so I took the opportunity to submit a presentation.
Here is the description of my accepted presentation:
Mascot Identity: The Symbolic Consumption of University Athletics Brands
Ian Cavalier, Oregon State UniversityThis study explores the relationship of university mascots and logos to the democratization of higher education and mass consumption of products in the US. The rise of forms of representation by college athletics teams has strong ties to corporate trade characters and to commercial models of brand experience and identity building. University mascots and logos are performative signs that unite fans and are commodification tools that capitalize on popular characteristics of creatures, cultures and objects. Embedded brand identity characteristics, such as cuteness and ferocity, have direct monetary and ideological value to universities. Branding changes indicate cultural context and organizational shifts.
I am presenting on Thursday afternoon in the Eliza Theater as part of the Popular Culture Performance and Representation panel.
Here is a handful of links relevant to my topic:
- “Why We Brand, Why We Buy” by Debbie Millman
- BrandPedia – The Brand Encyclopedia
- Wikipedia: Benny Beaver
- Scout.com: “New logo announced” by OSU Sports Information
- OSU Alumni Association: “Primal Traditions“
- OSU Alumni Association: “A History of Athletic Mascots at Oregon State University“
- Oregon State University: Jr. Benny
More information about the conference: SfAA 2011 Annual Meeting.