As sales of fair-trade goods explode across the globe, Fair Trade and
the Citizen-Consumer provides a timely analysis of the organizations,
institutions and grassroots networks behind this growing movement.
Drawing on examples from the UK, Sweden and USA, this book moves away
from models of individualized consumer choice and instead explores the
collective cultures and practices that motivate and sustain fair-trade
consumer behaviour. Although the fair-trade citizen-consumer has been
called to action and publicly represented as an individual 'voting' in
the marketplace, this book reveals how market interventions are editing
the choices available to consumers, at the same time as 'Fairtrade Town'
consumer networks are flourishing. Offering new and critical insights
into the fair-trade success story, this book also contributes to debates
about sustainable consumption behaviour and the growth of 'new' forms of
political participation and citizenship.