Understanding polycentrically organized movements

An analysis of the Slow Food and Fair Trade movements in Europe

Bibliographic Data

ID21189554
AuthorsNoha Shawki (0000-0003-3130-1722, Illinois State University, corresponding author), Melissa Schnyder (0000-0002-9455-667X, American Public University System)
Year2023
Volume19
Issue2
Pages156-174
Publication date2023-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Civil Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1744-8689 • E-ISSN: 1744-8697
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17448689.2023.2206153
OpenAlexW4377028534
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

The Slow Food movement and the fair trade movements have in the past been described as lifestyle movements and defined and understood in terms of their lack of explicit political commitments. In this article we consider the extent to which this view is still true today, drawing on the concept of polycentricity to describe and reflect on the activities of these polycentrically organized movements. The theoretically informed discussion we provide offers a nuanced account of each movement and its effort to engage in different kinds of activities in different contexts that all contribute to advancing its vision. We argue that while activities typical of lifestyle movements are still common in both movements, their overall orientations are more explicitly political than they perhaps once were. While some political activity is local and intended to bring about fairly limited reforms, both movements seek more transformative change at the national and EU levels

Civil society · Corporate governance · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Polycentricity · Social movement · Sociology · Transformative learning · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability · Law · Organic Food and Agriculture · Sustainable Urban and Rural Development

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