Indian Institute of Management Udaipur has announced the virtual launch of its ‘Consumer Culture Lab’ to foster consumer culture research in India. The launch of the Consumer Culture Lab and webinar on ‘Return to Laughter: Comedy Culture in India’ is scheduled for November 7.
This lab has been set up by faculty and researchers associated with the institute to cater to the growing global demand for research on Indian consumers. Talking about his vision behind setting up this lab, Prof Julien Cayla, Advisor, Consumer Culture Lab said, “I have always believed that more anthropologically-oriented approaches could benefit a wide range of people and organisations in India including government, companies, and students.”
Bringing in a more nuanced understanding
The lab aims to bring together perspectives from anthropology, sociology and psychology into consumer research in India, enabling students, academicians and industry professionals to develop a more holistic and nuanced understanding of Indian consumers, said a press release from the B-school.
Inviting academics, alumni and industry experts to the launch, Prof Janat Shah, Director, IIM Udaipur said,“The Consumer Culture Lab is a reflection of IIM Udaipur’s efforts to develop an ecosystem where creative research and diversity of thought can thrive. A unique initiative in B-schools across the country, this Lab bridges the knowledge gap and initiates a conversation on consumer culture and qualitative research in India.”
Webinar on history of comedy
The webinar ‘Return to Laughter: Comedy Culture in India’ will be held by Dr. Vijay Parthasarathy, a cultural strategist and commercial semiotician with a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. Parthasarathy has done extensive ethnography on stand-up comedy in India and will talk about the history of comedy in Indian culture, and the role of stand-up comedy in shaping global modernity.
The launch will be flagged off by the core team behind the lab, including Prof Janat Shah (Director of IIMU), Prof. Julien Cayla (Advisor of the Consumer Culture Lab), Prof. Rajesh Nanarpuzha(Faculty at IIMU), Prof. Tanvi Gupta (Faculty at IIMU), and Ms Rupali Kapoor (Research Officer at the Consumer Culture Lab). The team will also introducethe Lab’sinitiatives.