Chris Rojek’s article on ‘Counterfeit Commerce’ nominated for the Cultural Sociology 2018 SAGE Prize for Innovation and/or Excellence

Professor Chris Rojek has been nominated for the Cultural Sociology 2018 SAGE Prize for Innovation and/or Excellence. His article: Counterfeit Commerce: Relations of Production, Distribution and Exchange, was recently shortlisted by the Editors from all of the papers published by Cultural Sociology in 2017.

This prize is awarded to the paper judged to be the most innovative and/or exceptional in the past year’s volume of the journal. The winner will receive £250 worth of books from SAGE and a period of free access to the journal. The BSA and SAGE will also promote your paper to their networks to encourage readership and citations. A panel of judges from the journal’s editorial board will choose the winner from amongst your papers.  The winning paper will be announced on social media, on the journal homepage and on the BSA website.

As Chris explains, ‘Counterfeit Commerce’ is a paper on transactions in illegal designer goods.  One in ten of all transactions in the world are in goods carrying fake brands.  The biggest growth markets are pharmaceuticals and airplane parts!  The article looks at the organization of the trade and, in particular, at the motivation of consumers.  Do consumers simply buy fake goods because they are cheaper, or are they making a statement about the inflated prices in the luxury goods market?’