Continuing the legacy of David Livingstone: The contribution of fair trade to international development

Smith, Alastair 2013. Continuing the legacy of David Livingstone: The contribution of fair trade to international development. Expository Times 125 (2) , pp. 53-66. 10.1177/0014524613502916

Preview

PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (545kB) | Preview

Abstract

Originally given as the inaugural annual ‘Fair Trade Lecture’ (March 2013), I link together the events of 1) Fairtrade Fortnight, 2) the declaration of Scotland as a ‘Fair Trade Nation’ and 3) the Bicentenary of David Livingstone. Situated within an interpretation of ‘international development’ as the equalisation of individual human freedoms to live a subjectively valuable life, overall, I seek to highlight the continuing relevance of Livingstone’s thoughts and action for the contemporary fair trade movement. I identify that Livingstone’s promotion of international trade has remained a central component of today’s development policy. Moreover, I interpret his quest for ‘Legitimate Trade’ as a precursor to the contemporary view that trade interaction along is insufficient for pro-development outcomes. Following an analysis of why current trade patterns often fail the development agenda, I highlight fair trade as one means through which ordinary citizens can contribute more certainly to the expansion of human freedoms. The final section echoes Livingstone’s call to action that readers play a heightened role in establishing fairer international trade: particularly by adopting a proactive approach to considering what constitutes ‘fair trade’ activity and how wider advocacy might be integrated into consumption based activism.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General) H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Fair trade; Fairtrade; David Livingstone; international development; social justice.
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	0014-5246
Related URLs:	Project
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	04 May 2023 11:22
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/49989

Citation Data

Cited 3 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item