What's bugging Sweden?

Abstract: Previous research urges for the need to reconnect markets to marketing and more specifically highlights the lack of studies on new markets. This thesis aims at filling this research gap by increasing the understanding of how new markets are formed. This is done through a qualitative case study of the market for edible insects in Sweden, where the main data has been collected through interviews. Insects are currently not classified as food by Swedish authorities and are therefore illegal to sell for human consumption. Nevertheless, activities to form a market are taking place. Since this market has not previously been studied, we also aim to make an empirical contribution by consolidating information about historical and current events happening on this market. By using a market-as-practice perspective, this study identifies what activities within the normalizing, representational and exchange practices contribute to the market formation. Our findings show that two opposed ideas currently compete on the forming market. One views insect as edible and the other as non-edible. The idea that insects are non-edible is strongly performative in the normalizing practice through a salesban on edible insects. It successfully excludes insect based products from the food market and slows down the market formation. On the other hand, opposing activities are driving the formation of the market and, through the process of legitimation, trying to get insects accepted as edible. The two opposed views about insects are not equally performative throughout all practices which results in multiple versions of the market co-existing. The different activities are then shaping the market in opposite directions, creating instability on the new market.