ABSTRACT
A feminist deconstruction of the Robinson Crusoe trade allegory reveals the race and gender biases inherent in four assumptions underlying neoclassical economics and trade theory: Homo Economicus; freedom of choice; absence of barriers to switching labor and pursuing self-interest; and uniformity of the nation. Examples from the electronics and garment industries illustrate that socially constructed race and gender identities mediate an individual’s articulation into the economy. A “Friday” trade allegory, based on the relationship between Crusoe and Friday in the original novel, which explicitly recognizes the trade implications of racialized and gendered labor, is argued to provide a more relevant trade model.
