Event overview
Dr Jessica Martin introduces and discusses her new book, Feminisms and Domesticity in Times of Crisis: The Rise of the Austerity Celebrity
This event is part of the MCCS Community Lectures series, hosted by the School of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies. It is open to all staff, students, and members of the public.
In this talk, Jess Martin will introduce her new book, Feminisms and Domesticity in Times of Crisis: The Rise of the Austerity Celebrity. The book explores the rise of traditionally “feminine” domestic practices exemplified by key celebrity figures who have forged their public personas in articulation with austerity culture, exploring the potential of the domestic space to be a site for resistance toward or complicity in accepting rising inequalities. The talk will consider how this nostalgic turn to domesticity has intensified during the convergence of crises in the UK, reinforcing narratives of heteronormative femininity, patriotic stoicism, and the so-called British Blitz spirit, while helping to obscure the escalating inequalities of austerity-era Britain. Martin argues that the convergence of nostalgia and femininity has produced new discourses of performative thrift, feminized labour and aspirational domesticity which are key resources for the justification of austerity policy.
Dr Jessica Martin is a lecturer in sociology at the University of Leeds, where she runs the MA in Gender Studies. Her research interest are in feminist cultural studies, and she has published widely on politics and popular culture, postfeminism and contemporary celebrity and digital cultures. She is assistant editor for The European Journal of Cultural Studies and her new book Feminisms and Domesticity at Times of Crisis was released with Bloomsbury in 2025.
Chair: Prof Jo Littler, MCCS
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Feb 2026 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm |
Accessibility
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