Stephanie Dyer loves to shop. Growing up in the mecca of malls, Orange County, it was a favorite pastime for her and her teen-age friends. She formed a bond with her mother through shopping as well, Dyer said.
Today the history department lecturer's consumer tastes run the gamut from Wal-Mart to Neiman-Marcus.
"I'm a clotheshound. Absolutely," said Dyer, who arrived at UC Davis last fall. "I have two closets overflowing; I love to buy shoes."
But shopping is more than a hobby for Dyer. She is part of a leading wave of social historians looking at the role shopping and retail hubs have played in recent American history.
"(Shopping) is kind of a social bond," said Dyer, who recently taught a seminar on consumer culture. "I'm always interested in trying to trace out the relationship between money and personal bonds and the way the economy has such an emotional impact on people."
Thanks to her University of Pennsyl-vania dissertation work on the impact of shopping malls in decentralizing Philadel-phia, Dyer was recently featured in a New York Times story on the revitalization of one venerable downtown Philadelphia department store, Strawbridge & Clothier.
Next on her research agenda could be gathering the papers of developer James Rouse, who built the planned "New Town" of Columbia, Md., in the 1960s and later rejuvenated the waterfronts of New York and Baltimore with urban shopping centers.
Dyer, who recently taught at Penn and Princeton, is excited to be at UC Davis, where one of her heroes from the historical profession, the late Roland Marchand, taught. She's even used some of his materials in a U.S. history survey course she's teaching.
"It's nice to have a connection to his work, even though I never knew him," Dyer said.
At UC Davis, she's also enjoying the close professional proximity she has to her husband, assistant professor of history John Smolenski. The two met while studying at Penn, where Dyer also received a master's degree in media studies.
The pair, who live in North Davis, are pop culture addicts, Dyer said.
"We tend to be pretty low-brow," she said. "We enjoy doing things most academics would hold their nose at."
The pair took in Spiderman earlier in the month, and last week were among the first in Davis to see Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones at a midnight premiere downtown.
What's your favorite place on campus? I love hanging out at the MU. I like to people watch, particularly the undergrads.
Do you have a favorite Coffee House meal? A poppy seed bagel with egg salad on it. And I'm a caffeine addict; I have coffee at least once a day.
What's the best part of your job? Getting to know students. Getting to listen to them and seeing what the world looks like through their eyes.
What's the worst part? The quarter system. I don't understand it. It doesn't seem to be beneficial for the teachers or the students. There's no time to catch your breath.
What are your impressions of the Davis community?
It's an idyllic liberal town. I'm very interested in the importance that people place on quality of life. Unlike many places in California, they try to wed this with a liberal social agenda rather than just a conservative defense of property rights.
Where's your favorite place to shop? Neiman-Marcus. It has absolutely beautiful, overpriced merchandise. It's a great place to dream, essentially.
Do you have a favorite pair of shoes? My wedding shoes which are a pair of Manolo Blahniks that cost more than my dress. They are satin cream-colored pumps with bronze roses on the front and a kitten heel. They are a piece of my material life. There is a tremendous amount of sentimental attachment.
What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? Hopefully being a talking head on CNN. I'd be talking about sprawl, the economy and the mass media.
Also, writing and publishing. •