Professor Ian Cook et al (he / they)

Ian is a cultural geographer of trade. He has been interested in ways that academics, filmmakers, artists, activists, musicians and journalists try to make tangible the lives of those who make and grow everyday commodities in order to further the cause of trade justice.

He runs the spoof shopping website followthethings.com which curates, and researches the making, discussion and impacts of over 100 examples of this work. A new followthethings.com website was published in January 2025 to work in tandem with ongoing work on a handbook of 'follow the things' activism to inform and hopefully inspire new work in the genre. 
 
Ian writes as 'Ian Cook et al' because he/they/we never work alone.
 
CAREER
Ian worked in the Department of Geography at the University of Wales, Lampeter from 1993 to 1999 and in the School of Geography at the University of Birmingham from 1999 to 2007, before moving to Exeter where he retired in 2025. He is now an Emeritus Professor.