Pushing for Peace : A case study on Fairphone as an exploration of conflict-sensitive consumerism
| dc.contributor.advisor | Verkoren, W.M. | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Houtum, H.J. van | |
| dc.contributor.author | Olsthoorn, Lisa | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-02 | |
| dc.description.abstract | As citizens are seeking for new means to express their political values and concerns, do-ityourself political activism by means of consumption in the global North against violent conflict in the global South has so far remained understudied. This explorative research on conflictsensitive consumerism bridges academic literature on conflict resources, the global embeddedness of ‘local’ conflict, political consumerism and cosmopolitanism. Based on this theoretical framework, this thesis explores how conflict-sensitive consumerism can be understood and how it is linked to political consumption as an expression of cosmopolitanism. For this, the case of Fairphone has been used to explore the meanings and values of consumers and makers that can be linked to their purchase and production of what is considered the first step towards a conflict-free phone. A phone produced with natural resources from mines outside the reach of armed groups. By means of a discourse analysis of 49 blogs, four videos and website information, an online survey with 107 respondents and seven interviews with Fairphone and customers, the conclusion can be drawn that the vast majority of Fairphone buyers can be seen as both political consumers and cosmopolitans. They embody corresponding values and behavior in line with global accountability and global solidarity beyond their national borders and a strong belief in the political power of the consumer. However, as can be learned from the case of Fairphone, conflict-sensitive consumerism cannot, in contrary to the hypotheses of this research, be considered as an autonomous trend within political consumption. The vast majority of the buyers of Fairphone have not based their purchase on values and meanings primarily concerned with peace and violent conflict. Instead, the conflict-free elements of Fairphone have been included in the more inclusive and holistic concept of what is considered as ‘fair’. This shows that Fairphone buyers are mostly driven by a broader socially conscious lifestyle. Even though consumers did not consider conflict as their main motivation for their purchase, they did express to feel responsible as consumers for violent conflict. They have expressed a desire for more transparency and information about the link between conflict and consumption. This has implications for civil society organizations, business and governmental institutions involved with and working in conflict regions in the global South. They are the ones that ought to develop strategies towards the structural global approach of ‘local’ violent conflict. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/2797 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.thesis.faculty | Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen | en_US |
| dc.thesis.specialisation | Conflicts, Territories and Identities | en_US |
| dc.thesis.studyprogramme | Master Human Geography | en_US |
| dc.thesis.type | Master | en_US |
| dc.title | Pushing for Peace : A case study on Fairphone as an exploration of conflict-sensitive consumerism | en_US |
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