On the opposition between care and theories of justice: lessons of fair trade

Abstract

Fair trade invites us to re-examine relationships between care and theories of justice. Fair trade is described as a component of the “care” approach. At the same time, it rehabilitates particular justice (in Aristotelian terminology). Thus, it exemplifies the convergence of theories of justice and the ethics of care, provided that justice isn’t understood – and this is all too often the case – as a so-called general justice only. Therefore, particular justice enables us to envisage the articulation between justice and care in a different and more relevant way.

Keywords

care ethics, fair trade, particular justice, fairness.

Code JEL: B11, B40, D63.