Handcrafted Careers: Examining Passion and Privilege in the Craft Beer Industry

In this talk, Eli Wilson takes us inside the world of craft beer, exposing how the industry, traditionally dominated by bearded white men, can be an exclusionary space that limits career opportunities for outsiders. Dr. Wilson’s research asks big questions about how racism, sexism, and class dynamics impact the career paths of craft beer’s workers, exploring how men tend to move into creative roles of authority, whereas women are steered towards hospitality and working-class or Latinx workers into warehouse roles.

While some of this is not surprising, the heart of this talk is a critique of what it means to pursue a career of passion. Many people, including those who might have traditionally pursued a white-collar career, are drawn to the world of craft brewing because they want to be involved with something they love. They want to create, make a craft, be an artisan. But at what cost to themselves – and for those around them?