Dr Allison Hui

Lecturer in Sociology

Research Overview

My research takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of contemporary cultural consumption. By addressing cases which straddle the boundaries of established social categories – such as home/away, leisure/tourism/migration, everyday routines/exceptions – I explore how varied temporalities and spatialities of consumption arise as the unintended consequences of everyday social practices. My work involves moving beyond simplistic understandings of how ‘consumers’ or ‘travellers’ or ‘audiences’ behave, and identifying the value of situating individuals and their consumption in The Nexus of Practices (2017). Recent work has focused upon the consumption of energy (2018) and interdisciplinary portrayals of EV consumers and migrants.

Current Teaching

I am teaching a hands-on methodological course for undergraduates (SOCL 201 Skills for researching social and cultural life) and a block of Part I Media and Cultural Studies addressing Media and Consumption.

Professional Role

I am currently the Director for Student Engagement, Recruitment and Admissions in the Sociology Department.

Web Links

1. The Nexus of Practices http://thenexusofpractices.wordpress.com - this site profiles the book that I co-edited with Theodore Schatzki and Elizabeth Shove, which presents new theoretical contributions to theories of practice. It also houses resources related to contemporary theories of practice.

2. Practice Theory Methodologies http://practicetheorymethodologies.wordpress.com - this site, which is co-curated by Hilmar Schaefer and includes blog posts from varied contributors, seeks to provide an online space for propositions, resources and discussions related to methodologies that are developed in conjunction with practice theories.

3. Practice Theory at Lancaster http://wp.lancs.ac.uk/socialpractice/ - this site has more information on Lancaster's excellence as a centre for new developments in practice theory

PhD Supervision Interests

I would be happy to work with students whose projects relate to my areas of interest, including everyday life; mobilities (including tourism, transport, migration, global networks and circulation); theories of practice; consumption; material objects, cultures and networks; infrastructures and dynamics of energy demand.