Taste and Organization Studies

Using the example of the British fish and chip shop, I explore the socio-historical connections among culture, taste and organizations. Specifically, the British ‘chippie’ illustrates how cultural tastes affect our comprehension of organizations. In examining this occupation in depth, we see how the fish and chip shop reveals the ways class and cultural prejudices affect how an organization is perceived. Considering an organization’s history offers us a glimpse into how organizational tastes are shaped by broader social processes. Additionally, I explore taste and organizations through diverse theoretical lenses. First, the chippie constitutes an organizational example of Pierre Bourdieu’s contrast between taste as luxury and taste as necessity. Second, the work of Hannah Arendt highlights the intersubjective nature of taste, and its connection with judgement. Third, exploring taste with Antoine Hennion’s writings reveals the connection between practices and things. Examining taste through diverse theoretical lenses can thus open up productive lines of inquiry for taste and organizational studies.