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NICOLA COOPER’S JOURNEY HAS BEEN A BROAD AND DIVERSE ONE, ACROSS A MULTITUDE OF DIFFERENT FIELDS. HOWEVER, THE GOLDEN THREAD THAT
TIES EVERYTHING TOGETHER IS THE QUEST TO UNDERSTAND HUMANS, CONSUMERS, IDENTITY FORMATION, AND SUB- AND COUNTERCULTURES.
BY ELSKE JOUBERT
“I have always been innately curious for as long as I can remember,” says Cooper. “I loved information and would always be immersed in a book. I started reading advanced content from a young age, often tapping into my father’s bookshelf.” As an adult, the term ‘forecaster’ didn’t really exist or, rather, not much was known about it. “It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I had been doing it for most of my career, but there just wasn’t a name for it.” Cooper says it took some time – and a fair amount of hard work – to get to where she is today. “As an academic, I didn’t want to label myself until I knew I had the skills to back it up.”
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