Abstract
Purpose - The article discusses dynamics of interpretation concerned with what it means to do fair trade. Moving beyond the tendency to see heterogeneous practices as parallel interpretations of a separate concept – usually defined with reference to the statement by F.I.N.E – the paper seeks to provide an ontological account of the subject by drawing on theories of language, and John Searle’s notion of "institutional facts". In seeking to establish the value of interpreting discourse and practice as mutually constitutive of the fair trade concept itself, the paper applies this alternative theoretical framework to both an historical account of fair trade movement and critical analysis of a new alternative certification programme: Fair for Life. Overall, analysis compliments political economy explanations for alternative fair trade approaches with a deeper theorisation of how such competition plays out in linguistic constructions and the wider understanding of the fair trade concept itself: a dynamic that, it is argued, will play a significant role in dictating the nature and therefore impact of fair trade governance, both now and in the future.Design/methodology/approach - Grounded in an ideational ontology, the paper provides a theoretical framework concerned with the contestation of meaning. Analysis applies this framework through a heuristic reading of 1) fair trade’s history, drawing on secondary literature, documents and primary qualitative research; and 2) the discursive construction of Fair for Life – a new programme seeking to negotiate the ‘constitutive rules’ of fair trade.Findings - The article identifies that the history of fair trade and its current competitive dynamics are constituted by a negotiation and contestation of the constitutive rules that set the parameters of the fair trade concept.Research limitations/implications - The paper compliments political economy analysis of socially constructed governance such as fair trade, and adds value to academic analysis by exposing important, yet previously unconsidered, micro-politics of language and practice. The description and initial analysis of ‘Fair for Life’ opens a new area of empirical interest for scholars of fair trade and sustainability governance.Practical implications - Analysis highlighting the important implication of discourse and practice for the very definition of fair trade, offers practitioners important insights into little considered implication of their practices and their representations in language.Originality/value - The article compliments political economy analysis by demonstrating the value of an ideationally grounded analysis of fair trade and similar socially constructed governance systems.
Purpose - The article discusses dynamics of interpretation concerned with what it means to do fair trade. Moving beyond the tendency to see heterogeneous practices as parallel interpretations of a separate concept – usually defined with reference to the statement by F.I.N.E – the paper seeks to provide an ontological account of the subject by drawing on theories of language, and John Searle’s notion of "institutional facts". In seeking to establish the value of interpreting discourse and practice as mutually constitutive of the fair trade concept itself, the paper applies this alternative theoretical framework to both an historical account of fair trade movement and critical analysis of a new alternative certification programme: Fair for Life. Overall, analysis compliments political economy explanations for alternative fair trade approaches with a deeper theorisation of how such competition plays out in linguistic constructions and the wider understanding of the fair trade concept itself: a dynamic that, it is argued, will play a significant role in dictating the nature and therefore impact of fair trade governance, both now and in the future.Design/methodology/approach - Grounded in an ideational ontology, the paper provides a theoretical framework concerned with the contestation of meaning. Analysis applies this framework through a heuristic reading of 1) fair trade’s history, drawing on secondary literature, documents and primary qualitative research; and 2) the discursive construction of Fair for Life – a new programme seeking to negotiate the ‘constitutive rules’ of fair trade.Findings - The article identifies that the history of fair trade and its current competitive dynamics are constituted by a negotiation and contestation of the constitutive rules that set the parameters of the fair trade concept.Research limitations/implications - The paper compliments political economy analysis of socially constructed governance such as fair trade, and adds value to academic analysis by exposing important, yet previously unconsidered, micro-politics of language and practice. The description and initial analysis of ‘Fair for Life’ opens a new area of empirical interest for scholars of fair trade and sustainability governance.Practical implications - Analysis highlighting the important implication of discourse and practice for the very definition of fair trade, offers practitioners important insights into little considered implication of their practices and their representations in language.Originality/value - The article compliments political economy analysis by demonstrating the value of an ideationally grounded analysis of fair trade and similar socially constructed governance systems.