ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how the forms and practices of Fairtrade can create multiple, if not contradictory transgressions, at times radically challenging the normative structures of global capitalism and at other times re-conventionalising the spaces of alternative production and consumption. Several studies have shown how the branding and marketing of Fairtrade constructs the relationality of Fairtrade discursively, replacing the abstraction and anonymity of markets with metaphorical connections between northern consumers and southern producers. Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seek greater equity in international trade. The global minimum price carries considerable moral weight in Fairtrade discourse and is widely viewed as the clearest direct benefit from participation in Fairtrade schemes. The social premium also acts as a fundamental marker of the difference between Fairtrade and the abstracting, impersonal nature of conventional forms of trade. Fairtrade aims to re-moralise the economy by challenging the unequal trade relations that characterize the contemporary global economy.
