Buying into fair trade : culture, morality, and consumption / Keith R. Brown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brown, Keith R.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Consumption (Economics)--Moral and ethical aspects.

Consumption (Economics).

Consumption (Economics)--Social aspects.

International trade--Moral and ethical aspects.

International trade.

Social responsibility of business.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (201 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Stamped on products from coffee to handicrafts, the term “fair trade” has quickly become one of today’s most seductive consumer buzzwords. Purportedly created through fair labor practices, or in ways that are environmentally sustainable, fair-trade products give buyers peace of mind in knowing that, in theory, how they shop can help make the world a better place. Buying into Fair Trade turns the spotlight onto this growing trend, exploring how fair-trade shoppers think about their own altruism within an increasingly global economy. Using over 100 interviews with fair-trade consumers, national leaders of the movement, coffee farmers, and artisans, author Keith Brown describes both the strategies that consumers use to confront the moral contradictions involved in trying to shop ethically and the ways shopkeepers and suppliers reconcile their need to do good with the ever -present need to turn a profit. In addition to his in-depth analysis of the fair-trade market, Brown also provides a how-to chapter that outlines strategies readers can use to appear altruistic. This chapter highlights the ways that socially responsible markets have been detached from issues of morality. A fascinating account of how consumers first learn about, understand, and sometimes ignore the ethical implications of shopping, Buying into Fair Trade sheds new light on the potential for the fair trade market to reshape the world into a more socially-just place.

Contents:

A taste of life in the Nicaraguan campo

"Just one normal coffee": crafting Joe's moral reputation

"Buy more coffee": becoming a promoter through extraordinary experiences

"Who are we pillaging from this time?": managing value contradictions in shopping

How to appear altruistic

The Great Recession and the social significance of buying into fair trade.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 08. Jun 2020)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-8147-2538-4

OCLC:

830162883