University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks
greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by
offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized
producers and workers - especially in the South. Fairtrade organizations (backed
by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising
and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional
international trade (Moore 2004: 73).
The idea behind the Fairtrade ‘trading partnership’ is clear: it proposes to use the
market system to help/support/assist Third Word countries to develop (Gendron et al.
2008). In this definition, Fairtrade is positioned as an alternative to the traditional
trading system, which is characterized by selfish motives, oligopolistic practices and
inequitable foundations (Gendron et al. 2008). What the alternative market is not is
charity, relief work, or any other form of aid (VanderHoff Boersma 2009). To use a
slogan popularized in the 1970s, it is about “Trade not Aid” (Nicholls 2002); it aims
at changing the rules of international trade to enable producers to become capable of
competing in the market (VanderHoff Boersma 2009).
Criticisms of Fairtrade are also evident. For example, various economists argue
Fairtrade attempts to set a price floor for a good that is in most cases above the
market price, encouraging existing producers to produce more and others to enter the
market. Following the law of supply and demand, the new equilibrium price (over
time) should therefore decrease. And yet in the case of Fairtrade, as the prices are
underwritten, the equilibrium will include an excess in supply (Bhagwati 2002;
Sidwell 2008). Critics reject the notion that the free market can be artificially made
more ethical – and in fact, insist that the most ethical course of action is to allow the
free market to prevail.
As this introduction to Fairtrade suggests, the debate on both sides is marked by
strong claims and bold discursive strategies. Accordingly, in this paper we
investigate the discursive construction of a ‘Fairtrade identity’. In particular, how has
the Fairtrade movement positioned itself discursively? Has it reinforced the dualism
between free and fair, or has it sought to reconcile profit-seeking and ethical
behaviour? Can we even talk about a single movement, or are there a variety of
discursive practices to be found within the movement? This paper is organized as
follows. First, it will provide a brief overview of the general concept of discourse and
discourse analysis, and the specific approach used in this paper. We then examine the
dichotomy that dominates commentary about the movement. In a third section, it will
outline the methodology and method used before discussing the findings.
Discourse
In its most general sense, discourse is defined as being concerned with how language
is used in specific social contexts (Dick 2004). Fairclough (1992: 28), however,
argues that in the social sciences, “‘Discourse’ (…) is more than just language use: it
is language use, whether speech or writing, seen as a type of social practice”.
However it is not just that language is social; rather, Fairclough sees discourse as