Speaker: Dr. Steve Penfold, Department of History, University of Toronto.
Topic:"The Corporate Fantastic: Eaton's and the Making of Santa Claus Parades, 1905-1982".
Edmonton), did more than create childhood joy. They expressed the cultural and organizational power of a dominant national department store and synthesized many features of consumer capitalism. They were one example of a key modern cultural form -- the corporate fantastic -- that blended meticulous company control, enchanted dream worlds, and sophisticated popular art.
Santa brought gifts, but sometimes he got better gifts from Eaton's than the north pole.
Topic:"The Corporate Fantastic: Eaton's and the Making of Santa Claus Parades, 1905-1982".
Thursday 26 November, 2015
7:00pm
CCIS 1-440
Edmonton), did more than create childhood joy. They expressed the cultural and organizational power of a dominant national department store and synthesized many features of consumer capitalism. They were one example of a key modern cultural form -- the corporate fantastic -- that blended meticulous company control, enchanted dream worlds, and sophisticated popular art.
Santa brought gifts, but sometimes he got better gifts from Eaton's than the north pole.
Steve Penfold, PhD York is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Graduate in the Department of History at the University of Toronto. He specializes in the social, cultural, and political history of twentieth century Canada/North America, with particular interests in consumer history, fast food, and energy. He has published studies of mass consumption and nationalism, automobile landscapes, and class and commemoration. Ongoing projects include A Mile of Make Believe (a nearly-completed history of Santa Claus parades) and Duff's Oil (an examination of British Columbia Premier Duff Pattullo's heated dispute with American oil companies during the 1930s).
