The London School of Economics and Political Science The Curation of the Street Food Scene in London Paz Concha A thesis submitted to the Department of Sociology of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2017. Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 89223 words. I can confirm that my thesis was copy edited for conventions of language, spelling and grammar by Alexandra Albert. 2 Abstract This research is an ethnography about the curation of the street food scene in London that looks at processes of cultural calculation to make markets and to assemble marketplaces. The main research question that is guiding this thesis is how is the street food scene in London being curated? This inquiry follows previous research in cultural economies in different scenes of cultural production like advertising, fashion or music (Du Gay and Pryke, 2002; Slater, 2002a; Entwistle, 2006, 2009; McFall, 2002, 2009, 2013; Ariztía, 2015; Negus, 2002; Law, 2002; McRobbie, 2016; Arriagada, 2014; Arriagada and Cruz, 2014). I am focussing on the idea of curation as analytical vehicle to understand the work of cultural intermediaries (Bourdieu, 1984) as a process of value generation, in which they culturally calculate markets (Callon, 1998; Callon, Méadel and Rabeharisoa, 2002; Slater 2002a) and assemble marketplaces (Farías, 2010; McFarlane, 2011a, 2011b, 2011c) by putting together knowledge, people, objects, aesthetics and other materials that configure the scene. This ethnography focusses on the working practices of market organisers, particularly from a company that I will call EAT-LONDON and four food traders who work in these and other markets. Nine months of fieldwork were conducted, working at offices, markets and food stalls across London. Through this empirical work with actors in the street food scene, rich data was obtained with the purpose of analysing how markets are formed in cultural economies, and how markets create place. Curators are actors that shape the social using their embodied and social knowledge to separate businesses, audiences or places based on the distinction of this cultural scene (Johnston and Baumann, 2015; Naccarato and Lebesco, 2012; Cronin et. al., 2014). The practice of curation reveals how economic calculations are also configured by cultural distinctions and how place is assembled and emerging from multiple actors’ relationships and negotiations of value. 3 Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like express my sincere gratitude to my supervisors, Dr Don Slater and Prof Mike Savage, for their guidance and immense support during these past four years. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, experience and for being always generous. Your supervision has made me a better researcher. I would also like to thank Prof Bridget Hutter, for her continuous support and mentorship throughout, for taking the time to have a chat or send an email when I needed. Working with you as research assistant during my PhD was a pleasure, and an incredible learning experience. Thanks are also due to LSE Sociology academics, Prof Fran Tonkiss and Dr Sam Friedman, who gave valuable feedback in my upgrade examination. To Dr Rebecca Elliot, who gave me thought-provoking comments on early drafts of my work; also to Dr Carrie Friese for her comments and encouragement on departmental presentations. Many thanks to my colleagues in the NYLON research seminar, to everyone who gave me generous feedback during the past two years. Especial thanks to Liz Moor, for taking the time to read my drafts and give me advice and encouragement. I am also indebted to colleagues in the CCE, especially Phil Hubbard and Johan Jansson for your feedback. I would like to give special thanks to Brian Hracs, for taking interest in my work and giving me useful advice. During my PhD, I had stimulating conversation with colleagues who inspired many thoughts for this thesis. Thanks to Alex Rhys-Taylor, Dawn Lyon, Arturo Arriagada, and Aida Baghernejad. To my fantastic friends, Mona Sloane and Katharina Hecht, thanks for all the intellectually stimulating conversations about my work, the meals and picnics shared and for always being there. I am also thankful of the support and feedback I received from fellow PhD students Sian Lewin, Reuben Message, Elena Denaro, Linda Lund Pedersen and Ed Pertwee. I am grateful of the assistance and support I received from the LSE Sociology Department, especially from Louise Fisher, Louisa Lawrence and Kalynka Bellman. I acknowledge the contribution of Alexandra Albert. Thanks for the patience, and for taking the time to read my work and proofreading my upgrade and final submission. To my Chilean friends, muchas gracias. Thanks to study group members and neighbours Daniela Pérez and Ignacio Rivera, for reading my chapters and giving me feedback. Thanks also to my friends Gabriela Piña and Soledad Martínez, for being there for a chat and a laugh during this PhD journey. Last but not the least, I would like to thank my beloved family: my parents and sisters. Thank you, Mom and Dad for your love and moral support, and for always encouraging me to realise my own potential. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I dedicate this thesis to Cristian Hernández, my husband. Thanks for listening to my endless discussions about street food markets, for accompanying me during fieldwork, for helping me with the maps. But I am mostly thankful for your love, support and motivation since the beginning and always. 4 Table of Contents Declaration ................................................................................................................................ 2 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... 4 List of figures ............................................................................................................................. 7 List of tables .............................................................................................................................. 8 Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 9 1.1. Markets and cultural calculation ................................................................................. 14 1.2. Marketplaces................................................................................................................ 18 1.3. Context and setting ...................................................................................................... 23 1.4. Thesis structure ............................................................................................................ 28 Chapter 2. Conceptual framework .......................................................................................... 37 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 37 2.2. Cultural economy ......................................................................................................... 39 2.3. Market performativity ................................................................................................. 53 2.4. Making place ................................................................................................................ 65 2.5. Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 78 Chapter 3. Methodology and reflexivity ................................................................................. 82 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 82 3.2. Ethnographic approach ................................................................................................ 83 3.3. Key elements of the field and the research participants ............................................. 87 3.4. Conducting ethnography ............................................................................................. 94 3.5. Reflexivity ................................................................................................................... 119 3.6. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 122 Chapter 4. The curatorial practices of market organisers .................................................... 123 4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 123 4.2. Becoming a market curator ......................................................................................