While my academic background could, until relatively recently, be defined as firmly STEM, I am happy to say that the completion of a Masters in Human Geography Research (as part of my 1 + 3 doctoral studentship) has given me the opportunity to continuously learn and grow as a researcher within the social sciences – more specifically, within the context of economic geography.
Currently in my second year of PhD study, I am supervised by Professor Alex Hughes, Professor Cheryl McEwan and Dr Kate Manzo. My research explores the travelling ethics of consumption associated with a particular commodity – wine. Working within the context of South Africa, I seek to investigate its local wine market and, within this, understand how ‘ethics’ – broadly defined – are articulated and performed by local wine consumers. Semi-structured interviews with key industry stakeholders will be informed by consumer-driven photo elicitation, conversational interviews and ethnographic reflection.