Estee Fresco
Department of Communication & Media Studies
Assistant Professor
Office: Victor Phillip Dahdaleh (DB) Building, 3013
Ext: 33387
Email: efresco@yorku.ca
Estee Fresco is a scholar of sport media, promotional culture, Canadian identity, citizenship and Indigenous-Settler relations.
Estee Fresco is a scholar of sport media, promotional culture, Canadian identity, citizenship and Indigenous-Settler relations. She is currently working on a book manuscript entitled Commodity Nationalism: Commercializing Canadian Identity Through the Olympics. This work is based on archival research conducted on the Summer and Winter Olympic Games hosted in Canada: Montreal (1976), Calgary (1988) and Vancouver (2010). It explores how the Games became a platform for the fusion of nationalism and consumption. Fresco argues for an expanded view of commodities, rejecting the notion that they are simply meaningless throwaway goods. Specifically, Olympic-related objects like clothing, toys and coins are richly symbolic objects that help circulate politically charged ideas about Canadian identity, history and citizenship. They contribute to the legitimization of the Settler colonial state, help define “good” citizen and influence conflicts over the ownership of natural resources in Canada.
Fresco is also developing a second research project on ageing, communication technology, citizenship and the body. She investigates how older adults use technology to navigate the expectation that they take personal responsibility for their health and well-being. For instance, she asks: how do devices like fitness-trackers and location monitors influence how older adults’ bodies are surveilled? How do these surveillance practices influence knowledge of so-called normal and abnormal ageing bodies, and how to older adults challenge such constructions?
Degrees
PhD, Western UniversityMSc, London School of Economics and Political Science
BA (Hons) , University of Toronto
Research Interests
“The Hudson’s Bay Company, Canadian History and Settler Colonialism.” In Advertising, Consumer Culture, and Canadian: Society: A Reader. K. Asquith (ed). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press: 106-119.
“Marketing Avery Brundage’s Apoplexy: The 1976 Montreal Olympics Self-Financing Model.” In Olympic Perspectives. S. Wassong, R. Baka and J. Forsyth (eds). New York: Routledge, 3-18 (reprinted from The International Journal of the History of Sport).
“Marketing Avery Brundage’s Apoplexy: The 1976 Montreal Olympics Self-Financing Model.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 33(4): 369-384.
“Canadian Television Studies: All Grown Up?” Topia: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies. 33: 213-219.
“Consuming Canada’s Colonial Past: Reconciliation and Corporate Sponsorship in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.” Olympika: The International Journal of Olympic Studies. 21: 58-74.
"James’ Promotional Skin: Self-Branded Athletes and Fans’ Immaterial Labour." Journal of Consumer Culture. (Forthcoming)
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2023 | AP/COMN3517 3.0 | M | Doing Bodies/Doing Technology | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2022 | AP/COMN4742 6.0 | A | Sport, Media and Society | SEMR |
Estee Fresco is a scholar of sport media, promotional culture, Canadian identity, citizenship and Indigenous-Settler relations.
Estee Fresco is a scholar of sport media, promotional culture, Canadian identity, citizenship and Indigenous-Settler relations. She is currently working on a book manuscript entitled Commodity Nationalism: Commercializing Canadian Identity Through the Olympics. This work is based on archival research conducted on the Summer and Winter Olympic Games hosted in Canada: Montreal (1976), Calgary (1988) and Vancouver (2010). It explores how the Games became a platform for the fusion of nationalism and consumption. Fresco argues for an expanded view of commodities, rejecting the notion that they are simply meaningless throwaway goods. Specifically, Olympic-related objects like clothing, toys and coins are richly symbolic objects that help circulate politically charged ideas about Canadian identity, history and citizenship. They contribute to the legitimization of the Settler colonial state, help define “good” citizen and influence conflicts over the ownership of natural resources in Canada.
Fresco is also developing a second research project on ageing, communication technology, citizenship and the body. She investigates how older adults use technology to navigate the expectation that they take personal responsibility for their health and well-being. For instance, she asks: how do devices like fitness-trackers and location monitors influence how older adults’ bodies are surveilled? How do these surveillance practices influence knowledge of so-called normal and abnormal ageing bodies, and how to older adults challenge such constructions?
Degrees
PhD, Western UniversityMSc, London School of Economics and Political Science
BA (Hons) , University of Toronto
Research Interests
All Publications
“The Hudson’s Bay Company, Canadian History and Settler Colonialism.” In Advertising, Consumer Culture, and Canadian: Society: A Reader. K. Asquith (ed). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press: 106-119.
“Marketing Avery Brundage’s Apoplexy: The 1976 Montreal Olympics Self-Financing Model.” In Olympic Perspectives. S. Wassong, R. Baka and J. Forsyth (eds). New York: Routledge, 3-18 (reprinted from The International Journal of the History of Sport).
“Marketing Avery Brundage’s Apoplexy: The 1976 Montreal Olympics Self-Financing Model.” The International Journal of the History of Sport. 33(4): 369-384.
“Canadian Television Studies: All Grown Up?” Topia: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies. 33: 213-219.
“Consuming Canada’s Colonial Past: Reconciliation and Corporate Sponsorship in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.” Olympika: The International Journal of Olympic Studies. 21: 58-74.
"James’ Promotional Skin: Self-Branded Athletes and Fans’ Immaterial Labour." Journal of Consumer Culture. (Forthcoming)
Current Courses
| Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2023 | AP/COMN3517 3.0 | M | Doing Bodies/Doing Technology | SEMR |
| Fall/Winter 2022 | AP/COMN4742 6.0 | A | Sport, Media and Society | SEMR |
