Matthew Anderson

Matthew Anderson's details

PhD Matthew Anderson

The University of Birmingham

United Kingdom

m.anderson@researchfairtrade.com

Here is my webpage

Author's short biography:


I have recently submitted a thesis on ‘The British Fair Trade
Movement, 1960 to 2000: a new form of global citizenship?'. This research
explores the dynamics of Fair Trade as a social movement and looks to explain
how socio-economic networks have evolved between co-operatives, development
agencies, religious groups, trade unions and consumers.

I am currently preparing funding applications for post doctoral research.
Matthew Anderson's publications

authors year title journal or book other lang type link
Anderson 2009 ‘Cost of a Cup of Tea: Fair Trade and the British co-operative movement, c. 1960-2000’ Consumerism and the Co-operative movement in modern British history Editors, Lawrence Black and Nicole Robertson, Manchester University Press English Book section Link
Anderson 2009 NGOs and Fair Trade: The Social Movement Behind the Label NGOs in Contemporary Britain Editors: N. Crowson, M. Hilton and J. McKay English Book section Link

Expertise Keywords: fairtrade foundation, ethical consumerism, co-operatives, ngos, global citizenship

Primary Expertise - Fair Trade Research
Discipline
History
Research interest
Ethical consumerism, Fair Trade and global citizenship
Countries of expertise
UK, USA, Europe, Australia
Additional information on expertise
By constructing a historical assessment of fair trade my research aims to shed light on some of the key contemporary dilemmas facing the movement. These questions include: should fair trade constitute an alternative to the market or act as a transformative force within the market; does fair trade represent a new international moral economy; how can fair trade expand its market recognition and still maintain its founding values?

My research explores how a surprisingly broad spectrum of civil society groups came to identify with fair trade from the early 1970s. Led by development agencies, faith-based groups and campaign organisations fair trade was formulated as a powerful critique of global trade relations and promoted as a genuine opportunity for international development.