Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology: Including a Symposium on Hazel Kyrk's: A Theory of Consumption 100 Years after Publication

"Following its publication in 1923, Hazel Kyrk's Theory of Consumption soon became the flagship of the female-dominated field then known as the ‘economics of consumption' and a canonical milestone of household economics' history. Over the last couple of decades scholars interested in women's history and its relation to the household and economics have demonstrated both the importance and significance of her work (Kiss and Beller 2000, van Velzen 2001, Tadajewski 2013, Le Tollec 2020). However, for most historians of economics, her contribution remains, at best unclear, at worst unknown. Yet, through the theoretical and empirical work she conducted in the 1920s-1940s, Kyrk produced a highly innovative and influential body of work, ranging from institutional theoretical work to the production of empirical data on consumer spending. At the University of Chicago and within Federal Departments, she developed new approaches to address a broad array of issues including the consumer's choice and education, household production and time allocation, the status of women, women and children's working conditions, wages, firms' profit, marketing, or advertising, for example. We believe that Kyrk's forgotten contribution and influence deserve to be brought to light. To this end, we take the opportunity of the 100th anniversary of Kyrk's Theory of Consumption in 2023 by bringing together experts on her work during a one-day workshop organized in her honor."