Commodity Activism in Polarized Politics w/ Kai Prins

On this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were delighted to welcome Kai Prins who is a candidate studying Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture in the Department of Communication Arts and is minoring in Women’s and Gender Studies here at UW-Madison. Kai studies the influence of neoliberalism on the formation and performance of social identity across a range of case studies in digital and consumer culture, including the advertising and branding of social justice issues; the convergence of wellness, social media, and conspiracy; and the commoditization of drag performance. In this fun and engaging episode we asked Kai about their work on commodity activism, in particular a chapter of their dissertation they wrote called “Friends Don’t Let Friends Shave with Woke Razors”: Commodity Activism and Economic Speech in the Age of Conservative Backlash.” We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and hope you will too.