Interest in the ethics and politics of consumption is rising steadily. But many questions still remain about the complex motivations and practices involved in being an ?ethical consumer?. Globalizing Responsibility: The Political Rationalities of Ethical Consumption presents an innovative reinterpretation of the forces that have shaped the remarkable growth of ethical consumption. The book challenges the claim that this phenomenon reflects an increase in individualism and a retreat from proper politics. Using detailed qualitative empirical cases of ethical consumption campaigns, the book investigates the practical strategies used to encourage various ethical consumption activities by ordinary people. First, it looks at the way in which discourses of responsibility and repertoires of consumerism are deployed by activists to enrol support for global campaigns around fair trade, environmental issues, and human rights. And then it looks at how ordinary people engage critically...
